Nakamaship One-shots
by kryliadarr
Summary: ffy finds DF e talks hats anks meets Luffy anks & Marco talk w drinks 6.Kaido spec story thers e tat ving streets bs erview 12.Whitebeards night before Marineford tekeeper Shanks bin meets Sabo. Not sure why this isn't posting right. Stories are intact.
1. Chapter 1

I'm just geussing about Carrot joining the crew, and this isn't set at any particular time. Just a thought bunny I wanted to play with. Hope you enjoy!

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"What are we going to do with it?" Nami asked, looking at the yellow Devil Fruit sitting begningly on the table. Having fished the Devil Fruit out of the water, Luffy - because of course it had been _him_ , who else would find one in the middle of the damn _ocean_? - had asked everyone if they wanted to eat it, resulting in an impromptu meeting in the kitchen.

"I should get a book of Devil Fruits," Robin said, peering at it curiously. "Maybe at the next island I could find something so we would at least know which one it is."

"Does it matter?" Zoro asked, his arms folded behind his head. "I won't give up swimming for one."

"I hate agreeing with Moss Head, here," Sanji commented, for once uninterrupted by Zoro, "but we have too many Devil Fruit users for us to be deliberately eating Devil Fruits."

"How could you _accidentally_ eat something that looks like that?" Carrot questioned, reasonably enough, making Zoro snort.

"Ask our captain here."

"I thought it was dessert!" Luffy protested, "but it tasted awful." He stuck out his tongue, and even Robin shuddered at the memory.

"That's not the point, Luffy!" Nami objected. "Devil Fruits are worth a lot money! We can sell this if no one wants to eat it!"

"Eh?!" Luffy replied, obviously appalled. "That's no fun at all!"

"Ignoring him," Nami said, because sometimes that was how the ship had to operate, "does anyone want it?"

"I am always willing to pull people out," Jinbe offered, not wanting his friends to hold back if it was something they wanted.

"Thank you," Robin said, smiling gently at the merman.

"We'll be counting on you! Yohohoho!" Brook added cheerfully while Chopper nodded beside him. Everyone shook their heads when Nami looked at them. "Do you know what these go for, Robin?"

"Anywhere from 5 million to 500 million belli, depending on the ability," Robin answered, making everyone's jaws drop - except for Luffy who was no longer paying attention to the conversation. Bellis appeared in Nami's eyes at the possibilities.

"I wonder how they work?" Usopp questioned, looking at it warily. "If Donflamingo was able to produce Devil Fruits, did someone produce the first Devil Fruit?"

"I've been wondering about that myself," Franky admitted. "I didn't come across any information on them in Vegapunk's old lab, but he hadn't worked there in years."

"There's some possibility that they were invented during the Void Century," Robin acknowledged, earning looks from her crew mates. "There's no mention of them prior to that and then all of a sudden they're popping up everywhere. Initially, using them was banned since they were considered cursed. That's why they're called Devil Fruits. Anyone found to have eaten one was executed by the World Government."

"Freaky," Franky commented soberly.

"What made them change the law?" Jinbei asked.

"It's speculated that non-Devil Fruit users were at too much of a disadvantage when faced with Devil Fruit users, but I've never read Marine texts to hear their side of the story."

"I don't think we should let anyone know we have one," Sanji said after a moment, earning nods from the more nervous members of the crew.

"Why not?" Carrot asked, tilting her head curiously.

"People might try to steal it," Brook explained.

"I have a SUPER hiding place for it!" Franky offered, taking his signature pose.

"That sounds good," Nami agreed, turning to grab the Devil Fruit. Which was no longer on the table. "Luffy, where did you…" she trailed off, staring at the empty table. "What did you do?!" She screeched, reaching out to strangle her captain.

"Luffy, did you _eat_ that?" Chopper panicked, jumping onto the table in case he needed to pump Luffy's stomach. "You can't eat two Devil Fruits, Luffy, you'll die!" Considering the mystery surrounding Devil Fruits there was no guarantee that pumping his stomach would work. Tears treated down Chopper's face at the thought of loosing Luffy.

"I didn't eat it!" Luffy protested. "I fed it to my hat!" Total silence fell on the assembled pirates.

"You… fed it to your _hat_?" Franky repeated, because either Luffy had gone crazy - crazier - or he had to do some serious maintenance to his ears.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded, smiling brightly, ignoring Nami's hands wrapped around his throat. "Hat can't swim anyway, and I didn't want it to feel left out, so-!"

"You fed it to your hat," Sanji finished, rubbing his brow, because his captain's logic _always_ gave him a headache.

"What gave you the idea, Luffy?" Robin asked, apparently entirely unperturbed.

"When we were at Enies Lobby they had a sword that ate a Devil Fruit, right? So I thought Hat might want one!"

"Luffy!" Nami shouted, finally snapping out of her trance. "That was worth money! Possibly a lot of money!" Strangling the rubber boy never did any good, but that wasn't enough to stop her from trying.

"That would be boring, Nami! This is so much cooler!" He lit up as another idea struck him and turned to Franky. "We can feed the next one to Sunny!"

"NO!" Everyone shouted in unison. Seeing his bewildered look, Franky added:

"We don't want Sunny to sink, Captain."

"Oh, that's right! Sorry, Sunny!" Nami stepped back with a sigh. It was too late to fix now, and Luffy was the one wearing it, so if it turned into the Vomit-Vomit logia on his head, it was entirely his problem.

"So any idea what it is?" Usopp asked, staring at the hat with the caution one might show a rabid striking viper.

"Nope!" Luffy replied. "Hey Hat, what are you?" He asked, poking it curiously. When the hat turned into a lightning bolt, temporarily blinding them, they had their answer.

"So that's where Enel's Rumble-Rumble fruit went," Robin commented calmly as their vision returned. "I did wonder."

"The kitchen wasn't the right place for this discussion," Sanji added, looking around at the scorched walls.

"I'll get it fixed up in no time," Franky assured the chef.

"How can you all be so _calm?_!" Usopp cried. "We're all going to get struck by lightning! This is _awful_!"

"Hey Hat," Luffy said, as if he was expecting it to understand, "don't hit my friends, ok?" The hat flared again which Luffy evidently took as agreement and smiled brightly at his crew. "See? It's all good! Isn't this better than selling it off?"

"No, it's not!" Nami denied. "That would have been worth a TON of money! That's an unbeatable Logia, Luffy!"

"But I beat Enel, Nami, so it's not unbeatable," Luffy grumbled, as if that was relevant.

"It was worth hundreds of millions of bellis and you FED IT TO YOUR HAT!" Luffy scowled at her, obviously not seeing the problem.

"Luffy keep that hat away from us!" Usopp insisted. "Better yet, lock it up!"

"Oi!" Luffy argued, "don't be mean to Hat, Usopp!"

"I can't be mean to your hat, Luffy! It's a hat!"

"That doesn't mean you can't be mean to it!"

"Well, it's the captain's decision," Jinbei interrupted, hoping to calm the crew down, "but for now we need to find out if it's a threat to us."

"Hat just said it wouldn't hurt my friends!" Luffy objected.

"Hat can't say anything, Luffy!" Usopp cut in, wondering how many times he would have to say 'it's a hat' before Luffy got it. At this point, it was a deadly lightning hat.

"I'm not sure about the minks," Chopper commented in his doctor voice, glancing at Carrot, "but you might be the only person who can wear that hat without being killed, now."

"That's too much lightning for me to handle," Carrot admitted. "I don't know anyone who could handle that much and not get injured, at least." Luffy was giggling right up until Zoro spoke.

"You know Shanks can't wear that now, right?" Luffy's jaw dropped in horror.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the follows & favourites! This one's not as fluffy, but I hope you enjoy it!

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"So, where did you get such a great looking hat, Ace?" Thatch asked, happy the kid had finally warmed up enough to them to start eating in the mess with them. Apparently that had been a good question, because his face positively lit up. Marco paused in his eating to watch this new side of their future brother, and the nearby commanders dropped their conversations to listen in. They knew the fireball was a good pirate - strong, determined, loyal to his crew - but this was the first time they had seen him _happy_.

"My little brother got it for me!" He boasted proudly, pulling it off his head to look at it with a lot more affection than Thatch felt a hat truly warranted.

"You have a brother?" Haruta asked, joining in.

"Yeah!" Ace exclaimed brightly. "He's three years younger, a wimp, a crybaby, and…" here Ace's voice trailed off.

"And?" Izo prompted gently, causing Ace to shake his head resignedly.

"No one can describe Luffy," he told them, his smile softening. Thatch had honestly never expected to see such a loving expression on the fierce kid's face. He could see now what Pops had seen from the start: a warm and loving heart buried under a mountain of anger. "I could tell you a hundred stories about him, but until you meet him, it won't really make sense. He's like the _sun_. He's bright, and shinning, and somehow a world without him would be dark and terrible. He makes people happy just by being around him."

"So the hat was a present?" Namur prompted carefully, evidently not wanting to push Ace now that they were finally making progress with him.

"Yeah, for my sixteenth birthday!" That hat had obviously been well looked after to survive years, especially it's time in the New World. It was at odds with what Thatch knew of the reckless teen.

"So, why orange?" He asked. Because that was a _really_ noticeable hat.

"Cause he couldn't find a red one." When this didn't enlighten anyone, Ace continued, a smile hovering on his lips. "My brother loves his hat and decided that I needed a cool hat if I was going to be a pirate. He wanted to find a red one, since that's my favourite colour, but all he could find was the orange one. He stole it and was on his way home with it when he got eaten-" this caused a stir a table making Ace halt his story.

"Your brother was _eaten_?" Izo asked incredulously. Ace stared at him perplexed.

"Yeah, it happened a lot." The Commanders were left staring at their recruit wondering where the hell in the _East Blue_ people were commonly _eaten_. Thatch wanted to ask, but knowing that a lot of pirates hid their origins to protect loved ones and that trust was built slowly, kept his mouth shut. He was fairly certain his brothers were struggling with the same. One day they would know.

"What ate him?" Marco asked, utterly composed, earning a few disbelieving looks from his brothers. Really, they should have known better. This was _Marco_ and nothing as trivial as a child being eaten - apparently alive - was going to shake him.

"Just a crocodile," Ace dismissed, making a few jaws drop, "but then I was stuck getting him out. The idiot dropped the hat so _I_ had to crawl inside and get the damn thing!" Even after more than two years, Ace seemed frustrated by that.

"Why didn't you kill the crocodile?" Izo asked.

"We did," Ace replied, puzzled. "It was supper." Thatch bit back a groan, certain they hadn't done justice to the meat. They'd probably just roasted the damn thing thing.

"So why didn't you cut the hat out as you gutted it instead of crawling back inside?" Ace stared at Izo, gobsmacked, earning a round of chuckles from the commanders.

"If you were so annoyed at crawling in," Haruta commented, "why didn't you insist your brother get it? It was your birthday present, after all." Haruta got a few looks for the suggestion, but Ace just shook his head.

"My brother's an anchor," he answered, and, yeah, a kid having a Devil Fruit in the East Blue deserved a whole _new_ round of questions. "I didn't want to risk having the crocodile go in the water with Luffy inside." These kids were _far_ too interesting, Thatch felt. Ace needed to join soon so they could pester him with questions.

"So are you, Ace," Namur reminded, since he was the one fishing Ace out of the water every time the fireball got knocked overboard.

"Yeah," Ace replied, rubbing his neck in embarrassment, "but I wasn't then."

"So you ate your Devil Fruit after you left?" Haruta asked, and Thatch saw the wariness return to Ace's eyes.

"Yeah."

"Is your brother going to a pirate?" Marco asked, steering the conversation back to safer waters. Ace perked right back up.

"Yeah, he wants to be pirate king!" The commanders stared at him, incredulous. It was one thing for a boy in the East Blue who had no idea how big the ocean truly was to dream like that, but surely Ace would know better by now? Seeing their looks, Ace's face softened.

"Luffy's an experience." They sat quietly, hoping more words would follow. "I was ten when I met Luffy and I hated him. He was smiley, and happy, and looked like he'd never been hurt. I deliberately tried to hurt him. When he followed me into the forest, I chose the most dangerous routes hoping he'd get killed." Thatch felt his stomach churn at the admission, but the pain, and guilt, and _shame_ Ace was feeling clearly eclipsed anything he felt at the story. "It took him six months to be able to follow me to my hide out, but he never gave up. He never even gave himself a day to recover before following me again. My friend-" Thatch heard the hesitation there and knew his brothers had, too, "and I had gotten in trouble with some local pirates and Luffy kept calling my name. Realizing he knew us, they took him, wanting to know where we kept our treasure. Luffy knew. He was _seven_ and he knew, but even though they spent the whole day working him over with spiked gloves -" all the commanders recoiled at the thought of a seven year old facing such brutality - "he didn't sell us out." Ace swallowed hard, and Thatch wondered if there was _anyone_ who wouldn't be moved by such a tale.

"What happened?" Marco asked quietly.

"We had focused on getting our treasure out. I thought he would sell us out right away," Ace explained, not even trying to make it a defence. "When we realized he hadn't, we raided the place to get him back. They were about to kill him. A minute later and he would have _died_. I was so _mad_ ," Ace admitted with a shaky laugh. "Why did he bother? We weren't friends, or family, or anything to each other, but he almost died for me."

"What did he say?" Marco had taken over the questioning, but that was alright. Finesse was not a skill many pirates possessed.

"He said it hurt more to be alone than to be hurt."

"Smart kid," Marco commented, earning a disbelieving laugh from Ace.

"Luffy is _anything_ but smart. He's reckless, and stupid, and clumsy, but… when it comes to people, somehow he always _knows_. After that… I could never betray him. No matter how stupid he was, no matter what completely insane trouble we ended up in…"

"So you think he'll end up pirate king?" Pops asked, obviously entertained. Thatch wondered when he had joined them and how much he had heard. Ace turned to look at him, obviously surprised to see him there. He faltered before raising his chin and facing the strongest man in the world.

"I'm not sure," Ace admitted, "but I can _guarantee_ you'll meet him one day." Pops threw his head back with a laugh, and Thatch was almost certain he was making plans for another new recruit.

"Ace," Marco said, pushing back from the table, and drawing everyone's attention, "your brother's not the only one who always knows." Ace watched the blond leave with their father, a thoughtful look on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! Thanks for the support! My updates are really sporadic, so please don't count on them being this close together normally.

I've always been curious about why someone as powerful as Shanks ended up in Windmill Village for a year (I don't think he was a Yonkou at that point or Garp would have dropped everything to head back). It's mentioned at some point that they went there for the Devil Fruit, but a minor paramicia doesn't sound like a real reason for a big name pirate like Shanks to spend a year in the weakest sea. Also, by the time we see Shanks, he and Luffy are friends. Here's a thought on how their meeting could have happened. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear alternate ideas!

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Shanks hopped off the ship and glanced around the picturesque little village while his crew dropped anchor. He gazed over the place; windmills spun steadily between carefully tended fields and people had obviously been going about their business prior to Red Dawn's arrival. Now, they were cowering back from the Red Dawn, and ushering their children inside, apparently unused to pirates. Which he supposed made sense. That baby sea king in the bay would be enough to keep away weak pirates, and strong ones would target the wealthier docks of Goa Kingdom.

Goa Kingdom was famed for being the most beautiful kingdom in the East Blue and Benn had convinced him that it would be the perfect place for them to recover from their recent defeat. Shanks wasn't the only one still nursing injuries, and reluctantly acknowledging that it wasn't just his crew that needed time to find their feet again after that debacle, he had agreed to his first mate's suggestion. The place reeked of peace, though, and Shanks had no idea how Benn thought they would last a week in the village, far less a _year_. Sure they had been soundly defeated, but didn't that mean they just needed to get back up and try again? If not, maybe Shanks could convince Benn to find a different island for him to recuperate on? A more interesting one? He watched as one man approached.

"We don't want any trouble here." He said frankly. "This town is under the protection of Vice-Admiral Garp, so it's best if you move along." Shanks' eyebrows shot up and he felt interest stir in him for the first time since he had given the order to run.

"What business does that old geezer have here?" He asked curiously.

"I'm sure I couldn't say," the man replied, making Shank's esteem for him rise.

"Who might you be, friend?"

"I'm Mayor Woop Slap." Shanks wanted to immediately slap the parent responsible for naming their child that, but at this point it was probably too late. Strangely enough, the man didn't seem to mind the name.

"We just want a place to set anchor for a while," hopefully a _short_ while, Shanks assured the man as his crew gathered around him. "We're not looking for trouble."

"Pirates are always trouble," the man complained resignedly, making the men chuckle.

"I'm not sure that _all_ pirates are always trouble," Yassop offered cheerfully, "but our captain certainly is."

"I haven't even stepped foot in the town and you're already giving them a bad impression of me," Shanks complained as his men laughed. It was hard to pretend to be ok, but he was the captain, so he kept his smile up.

"The captain's definitely trouble," Lucky Roo agreed, "but not for you."

"Point us to the bar and we'll be out of your hair," Shanks assured the mayor, ignoring his men, which only increased their amusement.

"Party's Bar is down Main Street, on the right, you can't miss it." Shanks waited as the man held his gaze. "Makino's a good girl, I hope you don't give her any trouble."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shanks commented, leading the men to the bar. It was a quaint little place, and suited the town perfectly in Shanks' opinion. He almost growled at Benn for insisting they come here, but that could wait until he got some alcohol in him.

"Hello," a pretty green haired girl greeted. Shanks bet in a little place like this she had a lot of admirers. She was clearly nervous, but her voice was steady. Maybe it was having Garp around, but there were some surprisingly strong characters in this little backwater. "What can I get for you, gentlemen?" Shanks tossed his head back, laughing.

"Not sure when someone last called me gentleman, little miss," he commented as his men laughed with him. "My name's Shanks. My men and I are here for some rest and rum." She smiled more warmly at him and the tension in her shoulders eased. She turned to get their rum when there was a commotion at the door and Shanks sensed an attack.

"Stay away from Makino!" A voice called out, charging straight towards Shanks. Instinctively, he let slip some of his conqueror's haki as he turned to face the threat.

"Shanks," Benn murmured, pulling him back to the reality of the little bar and it's occupants. It was only then that he realized how _tiny_ the threat was. A little boy stood there, a stick clutched too tightly in his hands, making Shanks cringe. He couldn't believe he'd just tried to harm a _kid_ , even if the kid had attacked him first. Shanks glanced around to confirm the he had used haki - the little bar maid was down and a few of his men were struggling - before turning his eyes back to the unassuming little boy. The boy's round eyes darted around before spotting the fainted bar maid. "What did you do to her?!" He shouted, trying to beat Shanks with the stick. Shanks' eyes widened as he dropped down to disarm the little assailant.

"Easy there," he murmured. "She's ok."

"But, but," the boy said and his eyes filled up with tears. Shanks didn't even know the boy's name, but he knew that if that kicked puppy face was weaponized it could take down tougher pirates than him.

"Can you tell me your name, fierce little one?"

"Luffy," the boy sniffled, glancing between the girl and Shanks. "And don't treat me like a kid!"

"Luffy," Shanks repeated, hoping that talking would help the boy calm down, because kids really weren't his thing, but this one was interesting.

"Monkey D. Luffy," the boy introduced and Shanks fought not to let his shock show.

"You related to Vice-Admiral Garp?"

"You know Gramps?" The boy asked tilting his head in curiosity. Before Shanks could reply, the boy continued. "He's away a lot and he when he comes here he's always trying to train me! He told me if I couldn't swim by the time he came back he'd feed me to the Lord of the Coast!" Shanks wondered what sort of lord would want to eat a kid before realizing that was probably what the locals called their little sea king. The kid seemed more outraged than scared, and if Shanks wasn't familiar with Garp he might have doubted the sincerity of the threat. As it was, he wondered how Garp's kid had survived long enough to have a kid of his own.

"So are you going to be a Marine like your Grandpa?" Luffy stared at him like he'd gone crazy.

"No way! I'm going to be a pirate!"

"Oh?" Shanks questioned, hiding a smile because he knew that attitude had to be driving Garp mad. Some of his men chuckled behind him. "Why's that?"

"Pirates are free!" The boy exclaimed, a smile shinning on his face. Shanks felt his breath catch looking at the boy. "I want to be freer than anyone." The longing in his eyes didn't suit his age. "You hurt Makino," the boy accused, apparently just remembering how they met.

"I'm sorry," Shanks replied seriously. "I'm a little dangerous when I'm stressed, that's why we're here to relax." Having met Luffy, all his plans about leaving Goa Kingdom were discarded. This child was someone to watch.

"You didn't mean to?" Luffy asked.

"No, I didn't," Shanks assured the boy. Shanks felt weighed by that gaze in a way that was both foreign and familiar. Words caught in his throat because how was it _possible_?

"Ok!" He said, smiling, "but make sure you apologize to Makino!"

"I will," Shanks agreed readily. Thankful that the bar maid appeared to be stirring, Shanks directed the boy's attention back to her. He needed a minute to compose himself as nostalgia and hope crashed into him in waves. He reached up and took off his hat to fiddle with. "Look, she's waking up."

"Makino!" The boy exclaimed, bouncing over to her. He sure seemed to have a lot of energy all of a sudden.

"Luffy," she murmured smiling softly at the boy.

"Are you ok, Makino? Do you need some meat?" He asked. She looked warmly at Luffy. Shanks thought she was too young to be Luffy's mother, but it was clear there was a strong bond there. The thought of Garp's underage grandson spending enough time in a bar for that to happen made Shanks smile and helped steady him.

"Yes," she assured him. "I'm not sure what happened," her eyes flicked to Shanks before settling on Luffy again.

"It's a mystery!" Luffy proclaimed, which saved Shanks the trouble of explaining. "Shanks promised not to do it again, so it's ok!" Luffy informed her with a bright, familiar grin.

"I do owe you an apology," Shanks admitted, strolling over to join the pair at the bar. "I hope you don't mind if I join you here."

"I heard you're a pirate!" The boy exclaimed. It wasn't a question, but Shanks answered anyway.

"That's right. Why?"

"Tell me stories!" The boy demanded, standing on his stool to face Shanks. The crew began laughing at the exuberant boy and Shanks felt something in him settle. In time he would return and confront Kaido. For now, he had a story to tell a little brat.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi! Thanks for the follows, favourites, and - everyone's joy - reviews! Sorry I haven't answered them; I've been a little under the weather. That said, I have this chapter ready and two more nearly done, so hopefully I'll get those up soon. I really loved the brief Shanks - Marco interaction we got at Whitebeard & Ace's funeral, so I sort of expanded on that. Hope you enjoy it!

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"Why did you come?" Marco asked, leaning against the railing and looking up at the stars. It was a beautiful, clear night, but grief held sleep at bay and he had wandered to the deck of Red Force looking for solace. What he found was a red haired captain he had never expected to owe.

"I didn't come for you," Shanks replied quietly, seriously. "I respected Whitebeard and I liked Ace, but I didn't come for any of you." Marco had over a thousand siblings and knew how to wait. Eventually, more words came. "I met Luffy when he was seven," Shanks said, surprising the phoenix, "and we became friends."

"Ace always spoke well of him," Marco admitted, a fond smile finding its' way to his lips. Seeing the boy at Marineford, it was easy to understand why Ace had loved him so much.

"I knew that if Ace was there, Luffy would be, too." Even though Marco had heard stories - from Ace, from the newspapers, from pirates who encountered him - the phoenix had never _once_ considered that a rookie would jump into the middle of their war. Far less immediately after storming Impel Down for his brother. The boy was a beautiful kind of insane.

"You'd start a war for him?" Marco questioned curiously.

"I'd end a war for him," Shanks countered with a wry smile. When Marco didn't rise to the bait, the red head continued. "I try not to get involved; he'll come to me when he's ready. But yes, I'd start a war for him."

"We owe him a lot," Marco murmured.

"He wouldn't think so," Shanks said, tilting his head up to the sky. "If he's awake now, I guarantee you he's blaming himself for Ace's death."

"It wasn't his fault," Marco protested, before realizing that Shanks didn't need to be convinced.

"No," Shanks agreed. "Ace died a free man thanks to Luffy. That's all any of us can ask for."

"He chose his death," Marco agreed, and while the grief hurt, there was acceptance there because both Oyaji and Ace had chosen their deaths. Their bodies were being preserved in transit to an island in Shanks' territory that the red haired captain assured Marco they would be free to visit anytime. In the meantime, their graves would have the protection of a Yonkou. Marco would have preferred burying them on one of Whitebeard's favourite islands, but he knew that the seas would be in disarray after this and that protecting their territory would cost a lot of lives. The beginning of the new era was being washed in the blood of his family, and Marco couldn't see what good could possibly come of it.

"They'll need you to lead them," Shanks pointed out to Marco, who acknowledged the weight of being the First Division Commander with a nod, "that's why I thought you should stay with us until the funeral. You need time to grieve."

"Thanks you," Marco said, because he knew that time to himself would be a rare gift in the upcoming months. The two men stood side by side looking at the stars for a while. Inevitably, it was Shanks who broke it.

"You remind me of myself," he said, glancing at the blond, who tried not to look offended. Apparently he didn't manage it, because the Yonkou cracked a genuine smile. His first, that night. "Roger was dying when he handed himself in," Shanks revealed, surprising Marco, who turned to face him fully. He'd never heard this; it was probably only the crew who had known. "We'd tried everything, but it was incurable. He decided he wanted to go out with a bang."

"I did wonder what happened," Marco murmured, because there had been no big fight, no story; all of a sudden he was being held by the marines waiting for his execution. "I'm sorry." The man continued, and Marco wasn't even sure the red head had heard him.

"I would have sailed under his flag forever," Shanks acknowledged, and if the man's eyes were glassy, Marco didn't mention it, "but we didn't get forever. I built my crew - they're great - but even a decade after he died, I was still missing for something. It wasn't till I found a seven year old kid in the East Blue with a smile too big for his face that I found what I was waiting for."

"No one can replace Oyaji," Marco commented quietly. "Or Ace."

"No," Shanks agreed, "but you can find a new love in time." Marco glanced at him.

"Speak plainly, Red Hair," Marco said, irritation seeping into his hair.

"You loved Whitebeard, and Ace, and all of your current crew," Marco nodded, his eyes wary, not certain where the other captain was going with this, "but loving someone else isn't betraying them."

"…I fought for Straw Hat," Marco pointed out. "Ace gave his life for him, and Oyaji ordered us to protect him…"

"Yeah," Shanks acknowledged, "but that's why you fought for him. For Whitebeard. For Ace."

"…What do you want me to say?" Marco asked, because dealing with this man had never been easy, and Marco wasn't up for playing games.

"Isn't all true loyalty built from love?" Shanks questioned, earning the phoenix's full attention. "I'd like to believe my crew loves me," the red head admitted, "and I certainly love them."

"What do you intend?" Marco asked, focusing on the man in front of him. Shanks met his eyes. "You're planning on loosing," Marco theorized, but the offended look on the Yonkou's face made him reconsider.

"I wouldn't _try_ to loose! If I did, there would be no point in Luffy winning!"

"But you believe you'll loose," Marco rephrased, feeling his way through his answer. He examined the red head's face for clues as he continued. "When pirate's fight and one looses, they are often given the option of surrendering and joining the fleet or dying." He'd only met Luffy briefly, but the kid didn't seem big on killing. "You're planning on flying under his flag." Marco said with a sort of shocked awe. It was _unheard_ of. A _Yonkou_ flying under someone else's flag? Marco tried to wrap his head around the thought. "I knew you were crazy," he muttered. Shanks smiled warmly at him.

"There's no shame in flying the Pirate King's flag."


	5. Chapter 5

I'm not sure about this chapter - I scrapped it once - so please let me know what you think. To those who followed, favourited, and especially reviewed the last chapter, thank you very much!

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Knowing your strengths and weaknesses was key for successful planning, so Law knew himself well. He knew he was amongst the best surgeons in the world and a powerful fighter. He was viciously intelligent and, at least until he opened his mouth, commonly considered handsome. He was, however, lacking and charisma and was often referred to as 'that creepy bastard.' That was made more apparent through his alliance with Straw Hat. The young man had an abundance of power and charisma, although almost no intelligence. Or _sanity_ , at least, since Luffy seemed to have flashes of intelligence, usually centred around people. Law found it confusing, but even after such an extended alliance, he held no hope of being able to predict the rubber captain.

It had taken Luffy beating Kaido before Law could admit - to others - that he really admired the fearless teen. His crew had been entirely unsurprised by his decision - Shachi commenting that it was 'about damn time' - and Bepo had been the one to get the sake for him. Which was how he ended up seated across from Straw Hat with a bottle of sake and a cup. Kid was eyeing him, clearly wondering where he was going with this, while Luffy devoured all the food within his very long reach, to the astonishment of his new allies.

"Straw Hat!" Law called out, ignoring the food hanging out of the teen's mouth as he turned to face him, "this is my pledge!" If some of his crew facepalmed at that, well, they knew he wasn't one for flowery speeches anyway. Luffy stared at him, apparently uncomprehending. Law frowned at him.

"I believe Law has just joined the Fleet, Captain," Robin murmured with a smile.

"There is no Fleet!" Luffy protested, eliciting laughter from his crew and interested looks from the rest of the table.

"We can't, of course, officially welcome you," Robin commented to Law, "but we look forward to seeing you in the future."

"There's a Fleet?" Haruta asked, glancing from Straw Hat to Law.

"No," Luffy replied, at the same time Law said:

"Yes." He glanced between them, looking more confused, so Robin stepped in.

"A number of pirates asked to exchange sake with Luffy after Dressrosa, but since Luffy values freedom above all else, he refused." There were a lot of people staring at the rubber boy now, which made sense; Law had done the same at the time. A few of the Whitebeard Pirates choked and Law didn't blame them; it was _yet more_ evidence that Straw Hat was _entirely_ irrational.

"Those guys are SUPER funny!" Franky exclaimed. "They ignored Luffy and swore oaths to him anyway!"

"How many people are in this fleet?" Izo questioned, looking unimpressed.

"Five thousand, six-hundred and… twenty-one, now," Robin replied. The Whitebeard Pirates were left staring incredulously at the archeologist, making Law snort. They'd better get used to the feeling if they were planning on working with Straw Hat in the future.

"What's the plan?" Marco asked Luffy, who paused from his eating.

"Plan?" Luffy questioned, scratching his head. Law snorted and Marco looked a little incredulous at the reaction. "Well, we've beaten Kaido and Big Mom, so I guess we'll go beat up Blackbeard next?" The former Whitebeard pirates stiffened at the name.

"You know that he defeated us, right?" Marco told him flatly. Luffy's smile fell off his face and to Law's surprise he put the meat down.

"I ran into him at Impel Down," the captain said quietly. "He said I should be thankful that Ace was the one being executed since he had planned on capturing me." The room had fallen silent at the admission and Law felt himself cringe. He had seen Straw Hat after the incident and it would have been impossible to overstate his grief, if his endless injuries hadn't been proof enough of love.

"I hate him," Marco said dispassionately, "but he's strong."

"I know," Luffy admitted, before pulling a smile out of nowhere, "but I've got my crew and they're the best!" Law was always amazed at how a compliment from the Straw Hatted captain could reduce his crew to a blushing mess. The former Whitebeard pirates looked on, equally amused and concerned.

"Please listen to my new single, Luffy!" Brook called out, drawing Straw Hat, carrying an armful of food, away form the table.

"I'll gather intelligence," Law told Robin, getting down to business. Robin was the only one he figured he could communicate with; every Straw Hat had their own brand of insane defining them, but Robin could _almost_ pass for normal. At least until you realized that nothing her crazy captain did phased her. He might also acknowledge a certain kinship with her since, like him, she had seen her entire island destroyed. "I've spent years gathering information to take down Donflamingo, and if we leave intelligence to one of those idiots," he glanced at Straw Hat who was now dancing with chopsticks in his nose, "we'll all get killed." Robin giggled behind her hand.

"That would be very helpful. Thank you, Law."

"Since Straw Hat can't follow a plan to save his life, this is more for everyone else's sake." Law didn't want people thinking he'd gotten soft. He ignored Kid's snort.

"Nami, Chopper, and Usopp will be particularly grateful for your assistance," Robin assured him.

"Not you?" Vista asked curiously, stroking his moustache. Robin smiled warmly at the man and Law was amused to see the hardened pirate blush. Noticing the looks his crew mates were giving him, he was certain that he'd be the butt of many jokes once they were in private.

"It doesn't matter to me," she told him gently. "Where my captain goes, what he does… I'll follow him anywhere and do anything for him."

"Anything is a big word." Marco pointed out. Robin simply nodded.

"I was eight when every man, woman, and child I had ever known was killed and the World Government put a seventy-nine million belli bounty on me." This was the first time Law had heard her speak of her past. "I lived on the run and learned to do anything, at all, to keep a promise to a friend. There is almost no crime you could name that I have not committed, but Luffy - innocent, loving, forgiving Luffy - reached out and took my hand despite this. It is precisely because of this that I know how far I would go for my captain. If he wants to set the world on fire, I'll light the match."

"Setting the world on fire seems a bit extreme," Izo commented. Robin met his eyes.

"I am wanted because I am the only person in the world who can read the ponoglyphs," she acknowledged, "and, within them, three weapons are mentioned which could destroy the world." Law paled because Robin was inclined to _under_ state threats and that really didn't sound good. "With this crew, my value as Robin far supersedes my value as a translator, but if the captain decides he wants to unleash the ancient weapons, I will lead him to them." There was silence as the gathered pirates considered the fact that the fate of the world rested on a rubber boy's whim.

"That's a dangerous stance to take," Jozu protested.

"You don't understand Luffy," she countered serenely.

"If you aren't usually translating poneglyphs, what is your role in the crew?" Killer asked from behind his mask.

"I have a very difficult job," she told them, her eyes shinning with joy, "I translate Luffy." Law snorted. That would be hard.

"You were known to be highly treacherous." Marco seemed unsure of the archeologist, which surprised Law. Was he worried about Straw Hat? Even after all this?

"Yes," she agreed, "I learned to betray people before they betrayed me, and in time became a skilled assassin." A few of the Whitebeards looked uncomfortable with that declaration, but Robin's smile didn't falter. "Now I use those skills to defend my captain from assassins."

"So you wouldn't change anything?" Izo questioned, clearly shocked.

"No," Robin answered, her smile like bedrock. "My path led me here, now, and I wouldn't change a thing."


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! As always, thanks to those who followed, favourited, and - always my favourite - reviewed! I've actually been sitting on this chapter for a few weeks because I'm really not sure about it. It's a speculation story about the end of the WCI arc and Kaido. I'd be interested in hearing other people's ideas, and if you've got any suggestions for improving this story, please let me know. Hope you enjoy it!

BTW - I've got another OP oneshot not included here for anyone who wants to check it out!

* * *

The news coo had arrived with word about Whole Cake Island. Or what was _left_ of Whole Cake Island. Law was _nearly_ certain that Straw Hat hadn't been directly responsible for destroying Big Mom's base, but he was noticing a trend. Feeling grateful that Wano was not directly his responsibility, given the fate of Whole Cake Island, Dressrosa, _and_ Punk Hazzard, Law leaned back while Nico Robin read the article out loud. She read with a sort of resigned pride - Straw Hat was never going to manage a covert operation, no matter how powerful he became, and apparently his crew accepted that. It was hard to say just how much of the article was fact and how much was speculation, but it sounded sufficiently insane for Law to find it plausible. He had been balanced between doubt and hope when he heard about the Enies Lobby right up until he met the rubber teen a little more than two years ago. Hope was what had pushed him to risk his crew and save a straw hatted rival at Marineford.

"It's SUPER that Jinbei has joined us!" Franky exclaimed, taking his signature pose.

"Yeah, I guess it's not a monster trio anymore," Usopp added, making Zoro smirk. The swordsman hadn't moved throughout, only listened quietly. Having finished the article, Nico Robin pulled out the new bounty posters and read out their new bounties. Law didn't care about his own bounty, but knew the government used them to indicate the biggest threats in their eyes, and the Straw Hat's new bounties stunned him.

"Strawhat Luffy, one billion bellis." Fierce, proud, grins crossed the faces of the crew members. "Jinbei, five hundred and fifty million bellis." This earned some whistles from the assembled pirates. "Black Leg Sanji, three hundred and fifty million bellis," she continued.

"What?!" Zoro objected, sitting up. "That shitty cook has a higher bounty than I do?!" Nico Robin handed him the paper, which he looked at in disgust.

"Cat Burglar Nami, two hundred million bellis."

"WHAT?" This time it was Usopp shouting and falling over in shock. Franky groaned loudly.

"Why is everyone worth more than me?! It's not fair! General Franky is SUPER undervalued!"

"Maybe she pulled an Usopp," Zoro commented.

"Oi!" The sniper protested ignoring his friends' laughter. Law saw Nico Robin cover a smile at their antics.

"Chopper one hundred and twenty million bellis."

"So they finally noticed that Chopper isn't a pet?" Zoro asked lazily.

"He must be SUPER happy right now! This is SUPER good news!" Franky exclaimed.

"Well done, Chopper!" Usopp cheered.

"Carrot, two hundred million bellis." This elicited yet more cheering from the crew. Law wondered where they got the energy from. If this is what the cyborg is like powered by cola, Law thought, maybe someone needs to get him some tea.

"Brook, one hundred and ninety-five million bellis-"

"Seriously!" Franky interrupted, "I need to step it up!"

"-and all of our bounties have increased by one hundred million," she finished.

"So I'm not loosing to the love-cook?" Zoro clarified. She handed him his own bounty paper, and he took it, looking relieved. Law was never going to understand this crew.

"Yes!" Franky celebrated. "I'm finally worth more than one hundred million!" Law felt hope stir within him. His plan had been researched, methodical, and completely suicidal, but since running into Straw Hat on Punk Hazzard, Law had felt that tiny flicker of hope he hadn't quite been able to extinguish roar into something foreign and impossible: belief.

"I had planned to wait until Straw Hat got here," he said, drawing everyone's attention, "but I'm not sure we have the luxury of time." He glanced at Killer who had been sitting quietly, observing. If bounties mattered to him, it might be hard for him to see the Straw Hats pull so far ahead; his captain was an ambitious man, after all, and currently Kaido's captive. "From what you've said, Killer, you saw Kaido fall from the sky then back up without any major difficulty." The masked man nodded, tensing at the memory. "And your best guess is that he fell - or jumped - from a sky island." Another nod.

"What about it?" Zoro asked. "We knew the Yonkou would be tough."

"Yes, but I think it's more than that. That's a ten thousand meter fall, if we're right." Zoro didn't look impressed, and Law wondered, not for the first time, what was wrong with the green-haired swordsman. "I think the previous owner of the Op-Op fruit gave him eternal life." The room went silent.

"Can you _do_ that?" Usopp asked incredulously.

"Straw Hat didn't tell you?" He glanced around and it was fairly obvious the answer was _no_. Killer was staring at him with something like frustration in his eyes.

"He probably didn't think it was important," Franky commented casually, and Law needed a moment to wrap his head around someone not finding _immortality_ important.

"…Right. At the cost of my life, I can make someone immortal. That's one of the reasons it's such a valuable fruit."

"Wow," Franky murmured, staring at him. Law shifted uncomfortably. Telling Straw Hat had been fine - he was too crazy to want immortality anyways - but a lot of people did and Law waited for the inevitable demands.

"Can you undo it?" Robin asked, making Law stare at her.

"…What?"

"Kaido's immortality," she clarified, as if he hadn't just told her that he could make her immortal.

"…you don't want me to make you immortal?"

"No," she answered easily. "My life is my captain's. Immortality sounds like a lonely and terrible burden to me."

"I agree," Franky said. "You don't have to worry about one of us trying to force you to do that. We're your friends."

"We're _allies_ ," Law stressed. Seriously, what was with these people? The four of them just smiled at him. Law ground his teeth at the patronizing looks while his crew sniggered; he'd deal with them later.

"Luffy said you're a friend," Usopp told him, as if that was all he needed to know, despite his protests on Punk Hazzard, "and while I'm terrified of dying, I'm not such a coward that I'll harm a friend."

"Winning doesn't count if you can't loose," Zoro drawled.

"The most important thing is if you can reverse it without paying with your life," Robin assured him. There was clearly something wrong with this crew. Law had suspected it for a while, but now there was no denying it.

"…it's theoretically possible," Law replied, leaving his allies' sanity - or lack thereof - as a problem for another day, "but I think I'll be down for a while afterwards, so someone will need to cover me."

"Luffy's your best bet," Zoro told him, as if he didn't already know that, "but if things get heated before he gets back, I'll cover you. I can't have that shitty cook going around thinking he's stronger than me, anyways."

"…alright," Law agreed, glad he had researched Kaido. He had done most of the research to convince his crew that he would succeed in taking down Donflamingo, but was glad to be able to put it to use.

"What makes you think Kaido isn't just strong?" Franky questioned. Law frowned.

"We know where Blackbeard, Shanks, and Big Mom came from. Their ascent to power can be tracked. Kaido came out of nowhere. He is known for making suicide attempts as a hobby - jumping off a sky island isn't surprising - but even when he's defeated, no one can kill him. It's not just skill or willpower that's keeping him alive."

"Most people don't consider willpower something which keeps people alive," Killer interjected. Law snorted at the comment.

"You haven't spent enough time around Straw Hat," he replied, which made the crew smile, until he continued, "after Marineford, he should have died. I spent _days_ with my hands buried in his chest. His heart stopped three times. Anyone _else_ would have been smart enough to realize they were dead. Only Straw Hat could have pulled through in that condition."

"We've never said it," Zoro said seriously, meeting his eyes, "but thank you for saving our captain."

"I figured he'd come in useful later on," Law replied with a shrug. Robin giggled, making his eyes narrow.

"Of course you did," she agreed.

"I did!" Law protested honestly. He'd wanted to find _the_ D.: the one who could turn the world inside out. He might not want to destroy the world anymore, but that didn't mean he was satisfied with what it was. He wanted change, and he saw it in a bright D grin and tattered straw hat.

"Of course," she continued to agreed. Law opened his mouth to protest again before snapping his jaws shut. From what he had seen, there was absolutely no gain in arguing with a Straw Hat; they were all insane. Maybe he wouldn't have them any other way.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi! Thanks for all the support on the last chapter! Reviews encourage me to post (instead of nitpicking my work forever), so thanks to those who took the time! And as always, it's great when new people find my work, so thanks for the follows & favourites!

Quick note to guest Julia: Thanks for reviewing! Your idea of immortality as a punishment is interesting. Honestly, I was seeing an overprotective parent behind it. Can't wait to see what Oda does with the canon!

* * *

Usopp looked at the children. They stared back, fidgeting and moments away from some new diabolical plot. He'd always believed that he was good with children, but these? These were _monsters_. If he'd tied three of them up, well, no one would be able to blame him. Somewhere between picking up new supplies and returning to the Sunny, he'd ended up saddled with seven children. _Seven_. He'd only been with them twenty minutes, and the little monsters had nearly burned the house down; trying to make a fire in the living room was not _cool_ , no matter what their friend said. In a desperate attempt to avoid finding out how they might manage to flood or otherwise destroy the house, Usopp latched onto his fallback.

"Would you like me to tell you a story?" Eyes brightened, and the terrifying gleam in their eyes lightened slightly. "It's a story about the Great _Captain_ Usopp!"

"Isn't your name Usopp?" One child interrupted.

"You don't look that great," another added, pulling the youngest onto their lap.

"Oi!"

"I'm pretty sure you're not a captain," one of the older devils pointed out. He was shifting around, and Usopp felt himself sweat at the possibility that the brat might escape his knots.

"Yeah, who would follow you?"

"Oi!" Usopp protested. These kids were _merciless_.

"How about you tell us a story about someone more interesting?" The ringleader insisted. Usopp forced himself to breathe through his nose and remind himself that these were not marines and no, he was not allowed to attack. But telling stories was still his best bet, so…

"Alright, I'll tell you a story about the Great Captain Monkey!" And when the kids opened their mouths to protest, he raised a hand and watched them settle, because even if he wasn't using his moniker, even if they were children, _no one_ insulted his captain in front of him. "Captain Monkey loves his friends," he began, because of all the things that could be said about his captain, this was the one that stuck out most, to Usopp.

He told a story of a boy trying to be brave, of a girl trying to protect a village, of another boy trying to pay back a debt that could never really be paid back. He talked about cold mountains and hot desserts, of love, and laughter, and tears. He spoke of golden bell, and a flag burning, and a defiant scream that the heavens themselves must have heard. He spoke of regret and forgiveness and and hand reached out a _second_ time. He spoke of fog and ghosts and promises waiting to be kept. He spoke, in hushed tones, of defeat and shame, and the knowledge of the captain's grief. His voice broke when he spoke of pain and loyalty, so entwined for a period there was _no_ difference. He spoke of a command and a will undimmed by the world, and a story continued with fishermen and candy islands and swords. When the last words settled, the ringleader asked softly.

"What happened next?"

"I don't know," Usopp admitted, because the children and the story had stripped his defences until there was nothing left but truth.

"But," a child complained, "isn't it _your_ story? Shouldn't you know?"

"Shut up, stupid," one of the monsters - who yes, had gotten out of his ropes - scolded.

"It's true," the eldest told the others. "He can't know the end if it's not over yet."

"I know the end," Usopp said, drawing their attention back to him, "because one day Captain Monkey will find the One Piece and become the pirate king."

"Oi, Usopp!" Luffy shouted, bounding into the room from nowhere.

"I found him looking for you on the streets," the mother commented, following the rubber boy in.

"Who are you?" One of the brats asked.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man that's going to become pirate king." And for a minute, the children simply stared at this boy - even with the scar covering his chest and fresh bandages wrapping his body it was difficult to call him a man - who so boldly stated his dream.

"I _see_ ," one said softly.

"Come on, Usopp, we're going to be late for dinner!" At his captain's summons, Usopp rose to his feet, not having noticed the steady march of the sun across the sky.

"Wait!" One of the eldest protested, getting to his feet, ropes pooling at his feet. "He told us a great story and we have to say goodbye!" Usopp tried not to gape at the words. Had someone replaced the kids while he was focused on his story?

"Isn't Usopp awesome?!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "His stories are as cool as Shanks' and he _makes them up_!"

"Who's Shanks?" One kid asked, but the others must have known because they were shushed and they simply watched Luffy head out, since somehow, his captain always understood.

"But he didn't make _this_ one up," the eldest murmured before turning to face Usopp. Usopp couldn't really think of anything else to say, because he had already said everything, and apparently the kids felt the same because while the youngest kids hugged him, the eldest only stood in a sort of silent vigil.

"Thank you for looking after them," their mother said, walking him to the door. "I don't always have the time to give them the attention they deserve."

"It was nothing," Usopp protested, because it hadn't been, really. She shook her head and they stopped in the doorway. He looked at her and could see the bags under her eyes, and the way her hair fell limply around her face. He saw more years than her age, and wondered, for the first time, where the children's father was. But he didn't ask, because she didn't say, and in the end, he understood. She was their _mother_.

He found Luffy at the corner, waiting impatiently for meat, and fell into step with his captain as they returned home to the Thousand Sunny. He missed his own mother and wondered about his father, so when the crew was piling around the table, and a newspaper clipping fell to the ground, it almost felt like fate.

"What's this doing here?" Zoro asked, examining the newspaper clipping.

"Ah!" Nami exclaimed, glancing over. "I thought Luffy might want to keep it since it has a photo of his brother and father. I'll put it with our travel log," she added, reaching out for the paper.

"That sure is an unusual trio of brothers," Jinbei commented, "and Luffy's father and grandfather are quite the figures, too. Luffy, what's your mother like?" Everyone fell quiet at the question.

"Who?" Luffy asked, tilting his head, puzzled. "Do you mean Dadan? Or Makino?"

"Who's Dadan?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Oh!" Luffy said, looking enlightened, "she's a bandit! She didn't kill us!" Everyone stared at him, because coming from kind, forgiving Luffy, that was a _terrible_ introduction.

"What do you mean, Luffy?" Robin asked calmly. Usopp might someday become a brave warrior of the sea, but he knew he was _never_ going to have that kind of composure.

"Well, after I met Shanks, Gramps decided I couldn't stay in Windmill Village, so he sent me to live with some bandits in the mountains. Dadan is the leader. She's a really manly old hag," he praised. Usopp saw Nami wince at the description.

"You can't talk about a lady like that!" Sanji scolded.

"Why not?"

"It's rude, Luffy," Nami told him firmly.

"But Ace told me that she was a man among hags and he was right!" The crew members who had met Ace - polite, _lovely_ Ace - stared at Luffy trying to wrap their head around that. Usopp secretly thought that maybe anyone who raised _two_ D.s had to be pretty crazy.

"Why would she kill you?" He questioned, trying to move the conversation along.

"She didn't," Luffy replied, clearly confused.

"So why did you bring it up?" Usopp asked, now equally confused.

"Dadan said it was a parent's job to not kill their kid and as long as they left home alive, the parents had done alright."

"WHAT?!" Several people screeched.

"That's not right at all!" Nami scolded. "What kind of woman was she? A mother makes sacrifices for her children, and loves them, even when they don't deserve it…" Her voice faltered.

"Is kind and gentle," Sanji murmured.

"A mother teaches you," Robin added softly.

"A mother is important," Usopp whispered, his eyes glassy. He thought of mothers: his own mother, dying slowly: the mother he'd met today, aging too quickly, but not saying a word about the weight of raising seven children.

"So… more like Makino?" Luffy asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Who's Makino?" Chopper asked, almost warily.

"She ran the bar in Windmill Village where I met Shanks! She's super nice!"

"That sounds closer…" Nami said doubtfully.

"Luffy," Sanji cut in carefully, "do you know who your mother is? Biologically?" Luffy frowned at him.

"Biologically?" Luffy parroted, visibly confused.

"Who gave birth to you?"

"I don't have a mother," he answered, making his friends flinch.

"Did she die?" Nami asked, clearly remembering her own loss.

"No," Luffy answered. "I just don't have one."

"Everyone has mother, Luffy," Robin explained, because she served as much as World-to Luffy translator as Zoro served as Luffy-to-World translator.

"Eh?!" He recoiled, genuinely shocked. "Really?!" This was clearly a revelation to the rubber boy. Usopp sighed.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi! I've been trying to work on my oneshots, but what's coming out are drabbles instead, so I hope you enjoy them in the meantime! They vary in length, but none of them top one thousand words, so I'm calling them all drabbles. Thanks for your support!

* * *

His crew found him while the tattoo artist was finishing the S.

"You seriously want ASL tattooed on your arm?" Masked Deuce asked doubtfully, although Ace wasn't convinced he was the best judge of fashion considering he never took off his damn mask. "Isn't that weird?" The tattoo artist simply shrugged his shoulders.

"If that's what the man wants." Ace figured that was the business line for 'not my problem'.

"It is," he stated.

"But doesn't the L stand for Luffy? I thought you didn't want to draw attention to your little brother," Mihar pointed out, making Ace jerk his arm away from the tattooist.

"Hey!" The man protested.

"Oh, shit! Take it off!" The panicky fire-user tried to burn it off, but the sea stone ring he was wearing prevented him from completing that particular act of idiocy.

"I can't take it off, you retard! It's a tattoo!" The man snapped. Apparently professional only went so far here.

"What do I do?! What do I do?!" Ace questioned, completely freaking out.

"You could make it your name instead," Skull suggested.

"My name is spelt with a C," Ace snapped.

"You could write ASS instead, that would suit." Ace sent Aggie 68 a look that promised pain as soon as he was free to move.

"Just cross it out," he decided.

"You want me to cross out the S and then put CE under it?" The tattoo artist clarified, sounding really doubtful. Ace nodded firmly.

"You know everyone's going to think you can't spell your own name, Captain," Saber pointed out and Ace's eyes narrowed in irritation.

"That's not far from the truth," Masked Deuce added, making Ace clench his teeth, wondering why the hell he'd picked up these idiots.

"Shut _up_."


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed to me that Zoro's sense of direction has gotten worse over the series, and I think a lot of people, like me, believe he has a backstory in Wano Country, so I decided to put those two things together. I hope you like it!

* * *

"Did that street just _move_?" Usopp asked incredulously. Despite his insistence that he had caught I-can't-go-on-this-sword-filled-island Disease, Usopp was walking along the streets of Wano Country's capital in disguise, entirely unprepared them for this.

"Of course it did," Zoro replied, unhesitatingly taking the lead.

"Oi! You can't lead, Zoro! We need to get to the meeting point with Law and Kinemon _today_!" Usopp objected, speeding up so he was beside their errant swordsman. Zoro stiffened, affronted, but Franky spoke before he could.

"Well, I've never seen streets move before today, but I'd love to know how they do it."

"I'd be fascinated to discover the historical reasons for such an innovation," Robin mused, looking around wonderingly.

"How else are you supposed to get anywhere?" Zoro questioned, making everyone present sweatdrop.

"Moving streets really aren't normal, Zoro," Usopp told him seriously. "Wait! Is this why you're always getting lost?!" Zoro frowned at him.

"It's not my fault other countries don't have controls on every corner, Usopp. How the hell am I supposed to tell the roads which way to go? The people in charge should learn to do their jobs." The green haired swordsman sounded truly indignant and Usopp felt his brain melt just a little.

"You seem familiar with the country, Zoro," Robin speculated, before Usopp could comment on the swordsman's entirely preposterous remark. _How many years has Zoro lived away from this island believing that he roads actually moved?_ Zoro nodded to Robin.

"Yeah, I was born here," he told them, not realizing that all of them, excluding Robin, had frozen in shock.

"You were born _here?_ How the hell did you end up in the _East Blue?_ " Usopp sputtered.

"My dad took me traveling to learn swordsmanship," Zoro told them casually, walking up to some controls on a wall and punching something in, "but one day he and I had a big fight and he told me not to bother coming back until I could beat him. So I stayed on the island and kept training." Before Usop could reply - and there were a _lot_ of things that needed saying after that explanation - the ground beneath their feet started to move. Usopp did not squeal, no matter what anyone may have said later, but Franky got on his hands and knees to better inspect the mechanisms.

"Franky," Usopp whispered, because being with team No Common Sense had sounded good when Luffy was heading to face off with Big Mom, but evidently had it drawbacks, "I don't think crawling around inspecting the ground is very inconspicuous."

"What do you know about the system, Zoro?" Robin asked with appalling calm.

"It's for invasions," the swordsman answered with a shrug. "You can control where the road goes at each corner, but that can be overwritten by the royal family in case of emergencies."

"So an invading army would have serious difficulty reaching the palace, which would give the defenders an advantage."

"This is a closed country," Zoro commented. "There are a lot of things in place to defend the people."

"Does it get attacked often?"

"Sometimes," Zoro commented. "I know the World Government tried to subdue it, but I was pretty young for that. You might see areas where they are still rebuilding."

"Wano country fought off the _Wolrd Government?!_ " Usopp exclaimed, making Zoro frown.

"I was told it was more like the World Government decided conquering the country was more effort than it was worth and choosing to leave."

"Still, that's pretty amazing," Usopp praised. Zoro, being Zoro, just shrugged.


	10. Chapter 10

At least they're getting longer, right? This one is broken up, but I wasn't really sure how to bridge it. Hope you enjoy it regardless.

* * *

Luffy was lonely. And bored. But mostly lonely, because Ace had sailed off a week ago and even though Luffy knew Ace was having awesome new adventures and making great new friends, _Luffy_ was still on Dawn Island. And he missed his big brother.

He'd tried seeing if any of the kids in town wanted to play with him (now that they were older, maybe they could have fun together?) but they started screaming about how he'd made the windmill collapse on them and almost killed them (which really wasn't _that_ big a deal and had happened _years_ ago), and that time the Lord of the Coast tried to eat them (he _hadn't_ , so what was the problem?) so he'd gone back to the forest sulking. The kids around here only wanted to be _safe_ and couldn't appreciate an adventure at _all_ and the bandits were _never_ any fun.

Luffy ran through the forest, looking for the few animals left who could give him a decent fight. He'd gotten a lot stronger over the years and most of the animals knew to give him space. The Tiger Lord had been acting weird lately, but he was still tough to beat, so Luffy decided to go looking for him. Training would help him keep his mind off things he couldn't change anyway.

When he got to the clearing, he saw a head sticking out of the Tiger Lord's butt. "You're having a baby?!" Luffy yelped, kind of fuzzy on the particulars of that despite living in a forest for years. "What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?!" He panicked, running around the clearing, flailing his arms. His stomach grumbled, distracting him. "Food!" He shouted, figuring it out. "Everyone needs meat!" Happy to have an objective, the rubber boy bounced off in search of prey.

It didn't take him long to return dragging an alligator. The Tiger Lord was licking a Tiger Lord cub - who still dwarfed Luffy - and watching as he approached. "I brought meat!" Luffy announced proudly, pleased when the Tiger Lord pulled the meat in, accepting the gift. Until Luffy realized that the Tiger Lord intended to eat it all instead of sharing with the baby. "You're supposed to share!" Luffy shouted, punching the Tiger Lord in the nose and getting snapped at in return. Just then, the cub nosed the Tiger Lord's stomach and opened it's jaws. "Wait!" Luffy shouted, alarmed, pulling the baby away. "I know the Tiger Lord was being really mean and not sharing the meat with you, but I'll go get more! Don't attack your mom, ok? Ace won't like you if you do!" He now had both of them staring at him, but he needed to go get another alligator for the baby to eat before it attacked its' mother.

When the Tiger Lord swiped the second alligator Luffy brought, he got truly angry. "What kind of Mom are you?!" He shouted, only then noticing that the cub appeared to be gnawing on it's mother's stomach. "Stop, stop, stop! I know you're hungry, but you can't eat your mom!" He pushed the baby away earning growls from the baby and Tiger Lord. "I'm getting you more food, ok?"

* * *

Luffy was tired. Every time he came back, the Tiger Lord stole the food and the baby was chewing on its' mom. " _Makino_ ," he whined into the bar, totally wiped. " _Food_."

"Of course, Luffy," she agreed with a smile. "You seem pretty tired. Did you have a fun adventure today?" Luffy groaned and began telling her about it until he was interrupted by her giggles. "I'm sorry, I just - you know that only girls can have babies, right?"

"Really?" He asked, titling his head sideways.

"Oh, God, I told Ace to tell you before he left, but…" she seemed to be having trouble getting the words out past her laughter. "It looks like I'll have to have the Talk with you."

"The Talk?" Luffy asked, even more confused. "We're already talking, Makino."

"I meant about sex," she told him, finally calming down.

"Oh, Ace told me about that!" Luffy assured her. "He said that if any strange people try to have sex with me, I should beat the crap out of them." Which, strangely enough, started Makino on a whole new round of giggles.

"Do you know what sex _is_?" She finally asked.

"Nope," Luffy told her, picking his nose. "Ace said I wouldn't like it, so I didn't need to know."

"Oh, Ace," Makino murmured, softening. "Luffy, it's up to you if you like it or not, it's not something someone else can decide for you." And so Luffy got 'The Talk'.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi! Finally, here's an actual oneshot! It's loosely inspired by King of Pirates, Savior of the World by coffeelatte, so go check that one out if you haven't already read it.

I struggled with the voice for this one, so I hope you enjoy it. Someone once told me that you can never see how you impact people, because the moment you walk into the room, you start changing things. I think this is intensely true for Luffy who sees the world in simple immediacy and I tried to portray the way others change for him without him really noticing. I hope this comes through.

As always I love hearing from you and constructive criticism is welcome (I've been sitting on this for ages trying to get it right). Thanks for reading!

* * *

It's an order and a request in the form of a seat. Luffy sits on the head of Thousand Sunny, gazing at the endless sea in front of him. It's one of those rare moments when Luffy relishes the solitude. Not silence: there's never silence on the Thousand Sunny. There's laughter, and shouting, and the rhythmic swish of Zoro's weights at his back. Every member of his crew accounted for, everything as it should be. Luffy lets contentment fill him, knowing his friends, each one so very precious, are right there, waiting until he's ready to play with them again.

He never told them that he sat on Sunny's head - or Merry's before her - to have some time alone, but with these friends, he never needed to. Strictly speaking, Franky built a cabin for him in the Thousand Sunny, and Luffy could go there when he wants to be alone, but even that feels too far away most days. With his dreams ahead of him and his crew behind, Luffy knows he can take on the world.

It was hard, from the time Ace left until he first found Zoro, to be alone, and again during his training, even though old man Rayleigh was there for most of it, but he's never alone now unless he wants to be and it's _glorious_. Even at night, Luffy falls asleep listening to the quiet sounds of his crew. His wounds are healing, and he knows that eventually Chopper will come over and insist on checking them, but for now he enjoys the sun in his eyes, the wind in his hair, and the music in his ears.

Which was, of course, how he ended up snatched up by a horse.

"Something just ate Luffy!" Carrot shouted beneath him. "So cool!" Luffy heard the smothered laughter across the deck, but was too busy giggling to comment. The horse hadn't actually _eaten_ him and seemed to be having trouble with his weight, so his crew's words carried clearly to their captain.

"Franky, Usopp, Brook, pay up," Nami called out, not moving from her lounge chair.

"Yohoho!" Brook exclaimed, halting his song, "Nami's scary about money!"

"Well, it's about damn time," Zoro replied, not pausing in his exercises.

"What kind of bird is it?" Sanji asked, shielding his eyes and looking up. Franky hopped to the lookout to see.

"I'm not sure," he called down. "It looks more like a horse, honestly." Luffy decided he had enough of being awkwardly carried and climbed onto the horse. He'd never ridden a horse before, and it was really tricky to figure out where to put his legs with the wings in the way, but what the hell, he was rubber.

"A flying horse, eh?" Zoro asked. "That sounds interesting." Luffy thought so, too, and giggles spilled out of his mouth in delight.

"Hey horse," he said, "why don't you land so you can meet my crew?" The horse beat it wings above the ship, apparently considering it.

"A flying horse is typically called a pegasus," Robing told them, pulling out her sketch pad while staring at the hovering figure, "and they're considered mythical."

"I wonder how I should prepare that," Sanji muttered heading towards the kitchen. Luffy drooled at the thought and the horse reared in protest.

"Hey horse, do you taste good?" The horse turned it's head to glare at him.

"It's a little weird this is the first time it's happened since we entered the new world," Usopp commented, glancing up from his work.

"Shouldn't we help?" Jinbei asked.

"No, it's pretty common for Luffy to get eaten, so we don't worry about it anymore," Nami answered, making the merman pause.

"…You're not worried about him? What if it drops him in the ocean?" Everyone turned to stare at him. Robin laughed lightly breaking the silence.

"Jinbei is so sweet."

"He sure is SUPER!" Franky agreed, hopping back down to the deck. Jinbei blushed at their praise.

"I'm more worried about how I'm going to cook it," Sanji replied honestly. Franky laughed.

"That's only if he doesn't decide he wants that pegasus as his pet!" The cyborg pointed out. "Robin, do you have any idea what sort of accommodations a pegasus would need?" Apparently the horse had heard enough. He landed on the deck, away from the crew, and shifted to a man, dropping Luffy in the process.

"No one is going to eat me," he said firmly, "and I'm not a pet."

"Eh?! You're a person?!" Luffy protested. "But you were so much cooler as a horse!"

"I am also not a horse," he told the rubber boy seriously.

"He must have eaten a mythical Zoan fruit, Luffy," Robin commented, standing up and walking over. The rest of the crew got to their feet and moved in as well.

"I'm not here to fight," the man said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'd like an interview, actually." Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded by the idea of someone _interviewing_ Luffy.

"You want to talk to our captain?" Sanji asked incredulously. "Like ask his opinions on things?"

"So cool!" Carrot exclaimed. "It's like you're famous!"

"Technically, Luffy is pretty famous," Franky pointed out. "Everyone knows that he is SUPER."

"Do you normally try to abduct the people you interview?" Zoro asked, his eye narrowed.

"A mythical Zoan is a powerful Devil Fruit for an interviewer," Robin commented, examining the stranger critically.

"How much will you pay us?" Nami asked, bellis forming in her eyes.

"Powerful people are not always interested in being interviewed," the stranger said, "so it's good to have an exit strategy planned."

"Trying to abduct your interviewee probably doesn't help," Nami pointed out. The man glanced at her.

"I apologize for the… unfortunate introduction. Are you willing to be interviewed, Captain Luffy?" Luffy picked his nose, considering the matter.

"I dunno. Will it be fun?" Horse-man stared at him.

"You are, of course, already famous, but this help spread your influence and improve your image." Luffy frowned.

"He said it'll make you look cool," Usopp told him.

"Really?!" Luffy asked excitedly, remembering how cool he looked wearing the armour he found at the arena in Dressrosa. Horse-man sighed.

"Let's try again. My name is Hosei and I write for Sky High News. We would like to get an interview with the rising star, Monkey D. Luffy."

"I'm a rising star?" Luffy asked, turning to Zoro for confirmation. Zoro shrugged.

"…we'll start with some simple questions to get to know you. What's your favourite food?"

"Sanji's!" Sanji turned away, while the rest of the crew smiled.

"You're just supposed to choose one meal," Robin clarified.

"Ehh?!" Luffy said, appalled. "How can I do that, Horsey? All of Sanji's food is the best!"

"My name is Hosei."

"That's what I just said." And since they were on the topic… "Sanji! Food!"

"Yes, yes," the cook murmured, glancing at Zoro, who took a step closer to Luffy, before heading into the kitchen. Horsey watched him leave before turning back to Luffy.

"Your favourite story?"

"Usopp's, but Shanks tells great stories, too!" Usopp blushed brightly and puffed his chest out.

"Of course! My stories are always top notch!"

"…you actually know Shanks? The Yonkou?" Luffy wondered if there was something wrong with the man's jaw; it was just hanging open.

"Of course! We're nakama!" Franky wandered away and came back with a table for them to sit at while Brook, Carrot, Jinbei and Chopper brought over some chairs. Luffy took a seat with his crew surrounding him and tried to sit still. He might have been fidgeting a little, but everyone does that, right?

"What's your favourite book?" Luffy frowned, thinking. That was a hard one. Robin read him lots of great stories on rainy days or when he was recovering.

"Robin, what's the name of that book you read me the other day?"

"Sky Sailing," Robin answered, smiling over at him. It always made Luffy happy to see her smile since he knew she hadn't done much of it for a long time. She looked prettiest when she smiled.

"Isn't that a children's book?" Horsey asked sceptically. Robin nodded placidly while the man wrote the answer down. "What's your favourite music?"

"Brook's!"

"Yohoho! Thank you, Captain! Let me play a new single to celebrate!" Brook strummed his guitar and Luffy got to his feet to listen, but Horsey kept talking. Thankfully, Sanji came out with some snacks, so Luffy sat back down and ate his food; he knew Brook would understand.

"…your answers seem to be focused on your crew," he observed.

"That's because they're the best!" Luffy gushed, watching as they blushed and wiggled. They were so funny!

"…Your most treasured possession?"

"My hat!" Luffy exclaimed, reaching up and taking it off to look at it. As always, his memories of Shanks and his powerlessness rose up. The bandages wrapped around him were proof that even after all these years, he still wasn't strong enough. Stronger, but not strong enough. Not yet.

"Your favourite colour?" Luffy startled a little at the question.

"Yellow."

"Not red?" Luffy stared at him.

"Nope. Red was Ace's favourite colour."

"But you're frequently photographed wearing a red shirt. I've never seen a photograph of you in yellow except at Marineford." Luffy nodded in agreement, and the interviewer made a weird face. "Do you wear red for Fire Fist Ace?" Luffy nodded again, his eyes unfocusing as he remembered Ace.

"Yeah," he acknowledged softly. "When Ace left home I was super lonely, so I started wearing red because it made me feel like he was still nearby." His fingers dug into his scar, but the muffled noises his crew started making drew him back to the present. "Guys, what's wrong?" They were making faces like something had hurt them, but Luffy didn't know what was wrong or how to fix it.

"Nothing, Captain," Usopp replied, but his voice was strained and Luffy thought he might be lying. Luffy looked around in thought.

"Do you guys need a hug?" Because hugs always cheered Luffy up when he was sad.

"Yeah, Captain," to Luffy's surprise, it was Zoro who answered, "we need a hug." So Luffy stood up, stretched out his arms, and gathered all his nakama to him. Zoro's sword was poking him in the side, and Chopper's antlers were pressing into his stomach, but somehow, as always, it was perfect. His crew smelled like tobacco and parchment and fur and oil and salt water and somehow it all meant home. Luffy didn't care that Horsey was standing there; right now his friends needed a hug and they came first, always. "Thanks, Cap," Zoro said eventually, and Luffy let go, because if Zoro said they were ok, then they were ok.

"You had more questions for the captain?" Sanji asked, reminding Luffy about their guest.

"Who do you most admire?" Horsey asked after examining them all for a minute.

"Shanks!" Luffy answered immediately, because who else was there, really? "He's the best! I'm still going to kick his ass, though!"

"…Right. Where were you born?" The man asked. Luffy opened his mouth, but Nami got there first.

"Don't answer that, Luffy! If your enemies find out where you're from, they might try to hurt people close to you." The interviewer stared at her before sighing and crossing some stuff out.

"…alright. I apologize for the question." There was silence where he just stared at Luffy before clearing his throat and continuing. "How did you get so strong?"

"I trained." And people called _Luffy_ stupid.

"…moving on… why did you decide to become a pirate?"

"I didn't want to share my meat," Luffy man just kept staring at him, but Zoro nodded because of course _he_ understood.

"…right."

"Why did you storm Ennies Lobby?" His tone turned somber and Luffy frowned.

"They took Robin." Horsey was making that face again - as if Luffy was the one who didn't make sense, even though it was everyone else who got caught up in stupid stuff and forgot about the _important_ things.

"Why did you punch a Celestial Dragon?"

"They shot Hachi." There was a silence as the man examined him thoughtfully.

"It's all about the people for you, isn't it?" Luffy stared at Horsey, perplexed.

"What else is there?"

"You didn't do those things to make political statements?" Horsey seemed really confused, but it made the crew laugh, so that was ok. Luffy was happy they were happy again.

"Luffy didn't know who Dragon was until Robin-chan explained about revolutionaries to him," Sanji commented. The man was now gaping at him, but Luffy was used to that look.

"You set the World Government's flag on fire - declared war on the world - for a friend?"

"Of course I did," Luffy confirmed, puzzled. Why was that confusing? "That's what you do for friends."

"If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" Luffy looked at him for a moment, thoroughly convinced he was _stupid_.

"I _can_ go anywhere, and I'm going to Raftel." There was silence after that, but the crew was smiling, so it was fine.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello again! I've run into very few stories about the Whitebeards the night before Marineford, so I thought I'd take a shot at it. I'm not really using the fanfic ideas for the characters, mostly because I feel like only Thatch, Marco, and Izo have really been fleshed out there. I went back and forth on Marco being older than Whitebeard, but for the moment am going with younger. That's an even odds thing in my eyes. Also, this was largely based on how big Luffy's impact is to the morale of the Whitebeards at Marineford. I think we underestimated the Yonkou because the Whitebeards weren't at their best when we saw them. I've always found it jarring just how much they are encouraged by Luffy's arrival.

The first paragraph talks about the weight of the word war. It's something my grandma - who was a teenager in London during the Second World War - talked to me about years ago. She hated the way people used the word war so freely instead of conflict or other applicable terms. War to her was bombings and neighbours dying by the dozens and _millions_ of deaths over years. I think people are using many words too freely and undermining the words for the people who really need them. There are some words I believe should be both painful to speak and painful to hear. If we were to look at the meaning of the words we use, then 'damn you' would be the most offensive thing I could think of (what beats eternal damnation?), but people don't examine the words they use. Hopefully those of us in the writing community can make the effort to do so.

Anyways, rant aside, I haven't gotten many reviews since I posted the oneshots. If there's something that you feel has changed in my writing style or you don't feel I'm writing as well, please let me know! Constructive criticism has value! Take care & enjoy!

* * *

Marco watched the horizon. The sun set, disappearing behind the water in a gentle wash of pastel colours. Even the waves were calm, as though stilled in anticipation of the coming war. He had been in countless battles over his long life, but very rarely was a conflict large enough to carry the weight of the word _war_. There was a heaviness in his stomach; not fear, he knew the many flavours of fear, but foreboding, which was in many ways worse. He may not have his father's profound intuition, but he had developed some over the years and the warning weighed on him. He swung his legs over the edge of the crow's nest, knowing that this was the last sunset many of his brothers would live to see. It may very well be the last sunset the man he called Pops would live to see, as well.

"Marco," his father called out from his chair, not needing to raise his voice in the near silence of the deck. Marco jumped down, turning his arms into wings to break his fall, before landing on one knee before the strongest man in the world.

"Pops," he answered, meeting his eyes. There was a whole history between them, a story of tears and laughter and love and loss - because they hadn't _always_ been the strongest, and even once they were, it was impossible to keep everyone safe from everything - and Marco hid nothing from Edward Newgate.

"It's always the youngsters who get into trouble," Pops commented with a wry smile, and Marco couldn't help the answering grin that came to his lips. He had been a troublemaker once; being skilled and having a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit had taught him pride, but it was Edward Newgate, the strongest man alive, who had taught him humility, a gift he cherished every day. A true captain, in Marco's eyes, taught his crew the humility of standing before someone more worthy than themselves and the pride of being acknowledged by them. His captain - his father - was the _best_.

"Ace has always had a flare for the dramatic," Marco agreed, earning a chuckle from Pops.

"Check on your brothers for me?" Pops asked. Marco nodded; he had been planning on doing so regardless. He was sure the other Commanders sensed something wrong too, and he would be there to reassure his brothers. He was the First Mate of the Strongest Man in the World and he didn't falter.

"You'll need to hide that better," he commented, glancing at the sake by his father's chair as he got to his feet. The man simply laughed.

"The kids need to ease up a little. No harm in an old man having a little drink."

"I don't think they'd mind if it really was a _little_ drink," Marco replied, taking his leave to the sound of his father's laughter. The corridors of the Moby Dick were silent, and Marco went to check on the Commanders first; he had the First, Second, and Fourth Divisions to command, and knew that would take time.

"Jozu?" He asked, tapping on the door.

"Come in," his brother grunted. Marco turned the knob, unsurprised to see Jozu sitting in front of his macrame project. A glance to the corner of the room showed his brother's battle armour polished to perfection. "Shit!" Jozu exclaimed, frustrated.

"You need anything?"

"Could you pinch this section here?" Jozu asked distractedly. Marco stepped in and, as he had countless times before, pinned the section for his brother. He knew that sometimes the newbies gave Jozu flack for his hobby, but he found it calming and that was all that mattered to Marco.

"Who's this one for?" Marco asked, because eventually everyone was gifted with something.

"Ace," Jozu replied solemnly. "I never got around to making him one before."

"You can give it to him tomorrow," Marco assured him. Jozu looked up for the first time and met his eyes.

"I will." Knowing there was only so much he could do, Marco turned and headed for the door.

"Let me know if you need anything," Jozu said as Marco opened the door.

"I will," he echoed, not turning around because he knew Jozu would be embarrassed by how soft his smile had become. He continued down the corridor, past Thatch and Ace's empty rooms, ignoring the way his heart _ached_ , as it always did, when there were empty rooms on the Moby. _Tomorrow_ , he told himself, _one of those rooms will be filled again and Ace will be home with us_.

He knocked on Vista's door, entering at his brother's grunt. Vista was at his desk, examining his swords, as if he didn't always maintain them, as if he hadn't been polishing and sharpening them since Ace's capture had been announced.

"Need anything?" Vista asked before Marco could.

"That was my question," the blond replied with a slight smile.

"My division is settled." Marco waited, knowing there was more to come. Vista glanced up at him, a touch of hesitance in his eyes. "I know it's not what we're there for, and it's not really important, but is it wrong of me for me to be excited about crossing swords with Mihawk tomorrow?"

"No," Marco replied firmly. "He's held the title of best swordsman for years. Of course you'd like to test yourself against him." Vista's shoulder's relaxed.

"Thanks, brother."

"That's what I'm here for," Marco answered warmly, letting himself out. No one answered when he tapped on Blamenco's door, but he was nearly certain he knew where his brother was, and continued to check on Rakuyo unbothered.

"She won't _eat_ ," Rakuyo whined, looking despondent when he walked in.

"If you don't eat, you won't be strong enough to help us save Ace," Marco explained, because talking to a spiked flail was old hat in this crew. Sugar - and he'd never wanted to hear the reasoning behind that naming selection - stared at him before accepting the metal Rakuyo had been trying to feed her.

"Thanks, Marco," his brother said with open relief. Marco smiled back.

"No problem. Anything else I can do for you?" Rakuyo shook his head.

"Nah, the boys are antsy, but they don't want a Commander hanging over their shoulder. They'll hold tomorrow."

"I know," Marco assured him. "We have a good crew."

"And a great First Mate," Rakuyo finished. Marco wasn't easily flustered, but there was warmth in his chest when he smiled back. Maybe he wasn't just comforting his brothers this evening. He headed to the door with a wave.

"Come in," Namur rumbled when Marco tapped. Marco stopped in the doorway, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He stood in silence waiting for Namur to speak.

"It should have been me," Namur confessed after a while. "Boss Jimbei is in Impel Down with Ace instead of me, his own brother."

"Jimbei makes his own decisions," Marco replied, "and you'll be with us tomorrow when we save Ace."

"What about Boss Jimbei?" Marco knew enough to understand that focusing on what Ace and Jimbei had likely been though wouldn't help anyone.

"Pops and King Neptune have already spoken. King Neptune will petition the World Government for his release as soon as the war is over."

"I understand. I'll thank Pops when I go up." Marco smiled and nodded.

"Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, thank you." Marco continued on. He raised his hand to knock on Blenheim's door, but, recognizing the silence, paused before his fist landed. Foregoing the formalities, Marco softly opened the door. Blenheim sat in the middle of the floor meditating, but opened his eyes when Marco entered. They held each other's eyes for a long minute before Marco nodded and headed back out.

His next visit was to Curiel's room; a stark contrast to Blenheim's, Curiel, Blamenco, Kingdew, and Atmos were gathered around playing poker. He knocked sharply to cut across their laughter.

"Come in!" Blamenco called out.

"Since when is it your room?" Curiel asked, looking at his brother.

"Since you're about to loose it to me in a game of poker," Blamenco replied without pause.

"You want to be dealt in, Marco?" Atmos asked. Marco raised a brow.

"You want to loose?" His brothers laughed good-naturedly.

"I'm on a winning streak, Marco!" Blamenco crowed.

"I'd hate to be the reason that ended, Blamenco," Marco parried.

"You're just afraid!" He protested, making Marco smirk. Something about Marco's smile made Blamenco's eyes narrow in irritation. "You are!"

"Of _course_ I am," Marco agreed, making a point to be as patronizing as possible and earning laughter from his other brothers. "I was coming around to see how your divisions are doing, so you're spared for tonight." The four of them shrugged.

"There are some nerves, but seeing their Commanders relax will help them relax, as well." Marco snorted.

"Right." He shook his head in fond exasperation as he left.

When Marco found Haruta's room empty, he took a minute to think about where his little brother would have gone. His feet carried him to the Commander's training room. It was small and Haruta was one of the only people to use it anymore, but Marco knew his little brother was proud and preferred to practice in private. The weight of being a Division Commander weighed heavily the young boy and this would be by far the largest conflict he had been involved with. Marco stood on the edge of the room, observing. His brother had pulled out the lightest of the targets, one that's blown off course by the slightest of breezes, which helped train him for some of the more unconventional movements Logia users adopted. Haruta's form was good and he was constantly improving, but sweat dripped form his body so he had obviously been at it for a while. Marco moved quickly, stopping the sword before Haruta could slash his target with a haki covered arm. He could, of course, heal if Haruta cut him, but knew his brothers got upset when he took a blow even though they knew he would be fine.

"Marco!" Haruta exclaimed, jumping back, not having noticed him.

"You're doing well," Marco said, putting a hand on Haruta's shoulder, "but you won't be if you overdo it now. Save your strength for tomorrow."

"I didn't _notice_ you," Haruta moaned. "That could get me killed in battle."

"It could," Marco agreed, because he pretending otherwise was deadly, "but you're not fighting this war alone. We'll be there with you, as will your Division."

"You're right." Haruta accepted the correction, straightening.

"You're improving," Marco assured him. He ignored the sweat and wrapped an arm around the youth, guiding him towards the baths. "Take a long bath and massage those muscles; you can't afford to be sore tomorrow." He felt Haruta take a few deep breaths while allowing himself to be led along.

"How are you always so calm, Marco?" Marco stared ahead, considering the question. They had reached the baths before he had settled on his answer.

"I trust everyone to do their best," he replied, making Haruta shift to look at him. "I've lost everything before, but I was able to get back up and keep going. I know I have the strength to keep going no matter who I loose. People will die tomorrow," Marco acknowledged, his chest tight at the thought, "so we'll all loose, but every single one of us is choosing to go knowing that. We're all going to try our best and bring Ace back. No one can do more than their best." Haruta frowned, considering. "Have you been slacking on your training?" Haruta's head snapped up.

"Of course not!"

"Will you do your best tomorrow?"

"Of course I will!"

"That's all any of us can do, Haruta." Haruta met his eyes and his shoulders eased.

"Thanks, Marco."

"What are brothers for?" Marco asked, smiling warmly at him. He left to let Haruta get settled in the bath and went to visit Jiru. Fossa opened the door to his knock.

"What can we do for you, Marco?"

"Just doing my rounds," Marco told him, glancing at Jiru who was studying the go board intently.

"Whoever called him Speed Jiru has never seen him play go," Fossa commented wryly, seeing the direction of Marco's gaze.

"Shut up," Jiru replied, not looking up. "I'm concentrating." He carefully made his move before turning to Marco. "You tucking us in, big brother?" Marco smiled.

"Do you need it?" The two men snorted. "I just wanted to see if everyone was settled."

"My Division is all fired up," Fossa said. "Some of them are shuffled in from the Spade Pirates and they're out for blood."

"Mine's calmer than that, at least," Jiru murmured. "I've had to order a couple of them to bed or they would be up all night trying to anticipate Sengoku. Whatever comes tomorrow, we'll deal with it." Marco nodded.

"Would you two mind checking in on Haruta in an hour or two? He's in the baths working out stiff muscles." His brothers smiled in understanding.

"Working out some nerves in the training room?" Marco nodded.

"Boy's too hard on himself," Jiru commented. "We'll make sure he looks after himself tonight." Marco nodded in thanks and headed off to check on the last Division Commander, Izo.

"Marco," Izo said opening his door, wrapped in a dressing gown. "What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to see how you're doing," Marco replied.

"Please, do come in," Izo invited, making Marco hide a wince and step through the door. Izo closed the door before turning to meet Marco's eyes. "Is Pops planning on dying tomorrow?" The question no one else had been bold enough to tackle.

"I'm not certain," Marco prevaricated, watching irritation flash across Izo's face.

"You haven't asked," Izo accused.

"No," Marco agreed, "and I won't, Izo. We're going there for one reason, and one reason alone."

"Of course we need to rescue Ace!" Izo exclaimed. "But that doesn't mean I'm ready to bury Pops."

"Pops can't fight old age forever. Even if he doesn't die tomorrow, he will die soon."

"It's gotten that bad?" Izo asked heavily. Marco nodded, holding his eyes. "I don't want to loose him, Marco. I'm not ready."

"We'll never be ready," Marco told him gently, "but it'll happen one day and we'll have each other when it does." Izo turned away and wiped his tears with a tissue.

"It's annoying when you're right," he mumbled. Marco raised a brow.

"I must be annoying quite frequently, then." Izo instantly rose to the bait.

"As if! I commented because it never happens!" Marco didn't even bother addressing the lie; the banter had done them both good. "Ace isn't ready to be Captain," Izo pointed out, as if Marco wasn't aware of the fact.

"Not yet," Marco agreed, "but he won't be alone. He'll grow into it, given time." Izo took a deep breath.

"Then we need to get our little brother back so that he gets the time he needs." Their eyes met, equally resolved.

"I'll see you in the morning, Izo."

"Goodnight, Marco."


	13. Chapter 13

Happy Holidays! I tried to post this for you as a Christmas treat (and then again the next two days), but I kept getting an error. I'm glad I could get this up for you today & hope you find it interesting. This story was inspired by Mendosuke's The Ones Left Behind. I'd love to hear what you think of the premise (or story). In the meantime, enjoy!

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Shanks leaned over Red Force's railing, too caught up in his memories to really see the horizon. He'd been more prone to reflection ever since Luffy had reemerged from whatever island Vice-Captain Rayleigh had squirrelled him away on.

"I just heard from Inuarashi," Benn murmured, strolling up and leaning against the rail beside him. They spoke softly, facing the sea, so not even their other crew mates would be able to read their lips or follow their discussion. While small in size for a yonkou's crew, there were nonetheless too many ears for them not to be careful. Given their mandate, there were, of necessity, secrets.

"Oh?" Shanks questioned, not moving.

"He and Nekomamushi decided to show Luffy their Road Poneglyph." Shanks smiled sharply at the news. His hat was his treasure, but it also served as a marker; with Luffy wearing it, people knew to watch out for him. Vice-Captain Rayleigh's bold stunt at Marineford had shown the world who the late Pirate King's first mate deemed worthy of being his captain's successor, even if most people didn't understand that. The people who mattered got the message. With Nico Robin an apparently devoted member of his crew and access to Zou's poneglyph, Luffy no doubt had his first Road Poneglyph translated. His journey was certainly set to be a lot swifter than Captain Roger's had been.

"Any word on Anchor?" When Benn smiled, Shanks knew Luffy had done something, well, Luffy.

"He's on his way to steal back a crew mate from Big Mom… and grab her poneglyph while he's there." Shanks was thankful he wasn't drinking or someone would have ended up with a face full of liquor.

"What the hell happened to him picking a fight with Kaido?!"

"The other half of his crew is enroute to Wano."

"He _split_ his crew?!" Shanks yelped, making his crew mates swing around to stare at him. "No, seriously," Shanks said, lowering his volume, "he's picking a fight with _two_ Yonkou at once?"

"He wouldn't be Luffy if he did things the easy way," Benn replied breezily.

"Benn," Shanks whined, hiding his face in his hand, "we bet on a crazy kid." His first mate - the _bastard_ \- simply smiled.

"I thought that was his appeal." Shanks sighed, then lifted his head as he considered the possibilities.

"Kaido and Big Mom both have Road Poneglyphs," Shanks murmured. "Anchor could end up with three of the four Road Poneglyphs translated in a very short period of time."

"Do you want to slow him down?" Benn asked seriously. Shanks considered the matter. He loved Luffy, but he hadn't seen the boy in more than twelve years and he didn't want Luffy to reach the One Piece until he had matured enough to handle it. There were, of course, gold and jewels on Raftel, but that was never the _One Piece_. The One Piece was meant to be wielded carefully and only by the chosen heir. Shanks had spent twelve years believing Luffy would grow into that person, but until he met him as an adult, he couldn't be _certain_.

"…not yet. Let's see what he's like when he catches up with us. Ace's death must have really aged him."

"Not to mention Dark King Rayleigh's training. I can't imagine surviving that was easy." Shanks snorted and waved the concern away.

"I'm sure that was fun for Anchor. He probably had a great time with Vice-Captain Rayleigh." They stood in silence for moment. "I can't believe, after all these years, we're finally at this stage. Some days it felt like it would never come."

"Do you think the others will come to the New World now that they know the heir is here?" No question as to which 'others' Benn was referring to. Shanks frowned, considering the question.

"Vortex is pretty settled in the West Blue, so I don't think he'll come. As far as I'm aware, Seagull never really found a home in the North Blue, so he'll probably show up now that Anchor's on the move. Buggy's already moved here -" Benn snickered at that "even if he'd didn't really mean to. And Scopper Gaban is a wildcard. I'd be as surprised to have him show up as I would to have him not."

"It's hard to imagine Buggy living in the New World," Benn commented, because while all of the former Pirate King's crew deserved respect in Benn's eyes, there was one exception.

"He has before," Shanks replied.

"He had people to hide behind, then. There's a reason we spent so much time in the East Blue, checking things out." Which was, unfortunately, true. While all of the former crew were supposed to be on the lookout for the heir of the Will of D., one crew mate could be counted on to only be looking out for his own interests.

"From what I've heard, Anchor keeps dragging Buggy along in his schemes. He probably reminds Buggy too much of the captain for him to be able to refuse." The thought made him smile and they stood in silence for a moment.

"I still can't believe that Luffy found a survivor from that crew Doctor Crocus was looking for. He was so happy when he called to tell us." Shanks' smile widened at Benn's reminder of the call only a couple weeks back. Sometimes, just sometimes, miracles really happened and every _once in a while_ , people made their own as they went. "It's nice that he was at Reverse Mountain to meet them."

"Anchor also has Yasopp's kid on the crew," Shanks offered, making Benn grimace.

"I _know_ ," Benn groaned. Which was fair; since the bounty poster went out for 'God' Usopp, Yasopp just wouldn't shut _up_. If they thought they'd heard him boast about his kid before, it was nothing compared to now. Shanks refused to believe _he_ would ever be that insufferable even if his kid got a two hundred million belli bounty at nineteen. Then again, who knew what the world would look like by then?

"I wish I hadn't been right about Teach," Shanks murmured, rubbing the scar that covered his eye. Benn accepted the change in topic without hesitation.

"There's a reason we put it on the flag." A reminder, in the most visible place possible, to be cautious; even with haki to guide his decisions he was, in no way, infallible.

"Whitebeard was a good man," Shanks acknowledged, because his late captain's rival had been worthy of respect, "but he was blind when it came to his family."

"And you can't afford to be blind," Benn finished. Because no, as one of the ones guarding the path to the One Piece, he didn't have that luxury.

"Nobody believes they have blind spots, Benn, that's how they work."

"So who are your blind spots?" Benn asked, forcing Shanks to look at himself. It was never a fun experience, but necessity and pleasure were seldom on the same coin and he was a _Gatekeeper_.

"You," he answered without hesitation, "Lucky Roo, Yasopp." He thought about the crew.

"Luffy," Benn added, making Shanks' head snap around to him. He opened his mouth to object, before shutting it. This was, in some ways, Benn's most important job; keeping him aware and focused.

"Luffy," Shanks acceded after moment. It was hard to admit, but considering the stakes involved in Anchor finding the One Piece, crucial. Shanks looked to the sky considering the situation, before something occurred to him. "I thought they didn't use den-den's on Zou?" So what if he was a little sidetracked? Benn snorted.

"They didn't, but when Kin'emon - a retainer from Wano - mentioned they might be useful, Luffy's crew set them up." Listening to the stories of Anchor's mad exploits was always good for a laugh, but there were other things to consider. "What about the last poneglyph?" Benn asked, forcing him back on topic.

"We leave it."

"Are you sure?" Shanks glanced at his first mate with a raised brow.

"No one has found it in over twenty years. Why are you worried now?"

"I'm just thinking that Luffy could get caught in a storm, blown off course so he lands on the island you hid it on, decide to explore, and accidentally stumble over it." After staring at Benn for a moment, Shanks began to laugh a little hysterically.

"I'm too sober for this," he complained, turning back to his crew because Benn's idea was sadly plausible. He'd worry about that another day. "Give me booze!" He called out, not one for extended sobriety where it could be avoided. His crew understood.


	14. Chapter 14

Hi! To those who followed, favourited, or (always my favourite!) reviewed recently, thank you! I've realized there have been some mistakes in a few of my recent updates. If you see any, please let me know! I feel like there are all these important scenes we've never gotten in the cannon, so here's my shot at Robin & Sabo getting to know each other. Hope you enjoy!

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Robin was used to being checked out; both as an attractive woman and a potential threat, she frequently found herself under observation. The Revolutionary Chief of Staff's gaze, however, felt different from either of those. She had arrived on Baltigo three days earlier with an armed escort, and by nightfall had been introduced to the Revolutionary Army's elusive leader, Dragon, and his recently promoted Chief of Staff, Sabo.

She had been intensely interested to meet Luffy's father, and was surprised to discover he had promoted someone so young to be his Second over more experienced members of the Revolutionary Army. It spoke volumes of Sabo's skill that he had been selected; the Revolutionary Army couldn't afford to fight the World Government while playing favourites. She also had been profoundly relieved to discover that Kuma was a Revolutionary and had sent all her Nakama to places they could learn and improve, saving them from an Admiral in the process.

"Sabo's stupid," a young woman named Koala said, taking a seat in the cafeteria across from Robin. Robin had nearly always seen her in the Chief of Staff's company, harassing him, usually, so Robin assumed she was an Executive Assistant of sorts. Robin met her eyes, not letting her smile falter, although Sabo's protest of 'Koala!' carried clearly across the room. Her arrival at Baltigo had been shockingly welcoming, but it certainly hadn't been _quiet_.

"Oh?" Koala nodded vigorously and Sabo moved towards them looking torn. Robin sipped her drink, hoping this intervention would halt the strange looks she had been getting from the young man.

"I'm sure you've seen him mooning after you-" The comment earned snickers from the people nearby.

"Koala!"

"-so I thought I'd sit with you and give him an excuse to approach." And approach he did.

"You seem very close," Robin observed, utterly composed. Koala stared at her then sighed.

"I always thought that if I found Sabo following an attractive woman around the base, I'd have lots of ammunition to tease him with. If he made an ass of himself flirting, I'd be armed for _years_." Again, there were some chuckles from the Revolutionaries eavesdropping.

" _Koala_ ," Sabo moaned, taking a seat next to Koala. "It's not like that." Which Robin already knew.

"Not yet, you mean," Koala replied, her eyes lit with mischief.

"I hate you," the young man groaned, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I hate you, too," Koala replied, completely unphased. After a moment, however, she seemed to take pity on her compatriot. "Why don't we head outside?" She asked, pushing to her feet. Robin's curiosity was piqued, so she got to her feet and followed the young woman out and Chief of Staff out, surprised they had left themselves open to her. Then again, all the Revolutionaries had been shockingly trusting of her. It was confusing to be trusted so much by virtual strangers. No one spoke until they had walked away from the Headquarters and settled on some rocks that let them observe their surroundings. Robin wondered if their choice of location was intentional of simply habit.

"Sabo is drowning in guilt right now and that's making him even stupider than usual," Koala began frankly. "You see, for the longest time Sabo had amnesia because of an explosion he was caught in when he was ten," Robin assumed that was the origin of the burn marring the young man's face, "but he got his memories back after Fire Fist Ace died."

"Oh?" Robin prompted, wondering what the connection was, but keeping her face carefully blank.

"I'll tell the story," Sabo cut in with a sigh. He took a deep breath and Robin was under the impression that if he took more than a moment to gather his thoughts Koala would continue. Apparently Sabo felt the same, because what dropped out of his mouth was, "we were brothers."

"Excuse me?" Robin asked, on full alert.

"There were three of us," Sabo explained, meeting her eyes and swallowing hard, "Ace, Luffy, and I shared sake when we were kids. In Goa Kingdom. Ace was the one who came up with the idea. I thought… I didn't remember… It wasn't until I saw the article about Marineford that I remembered…"

"Why hasn't my captain mentioned you?" She asked, although she knew that Luffy was intensely tight lipped about his past. Most of them were, really.

"…he probably thinks I died," Sabo confessed. Once again Robin felt her heart go out to her cherished captain. Given how deeply he loved people, loosing both of his brothers would be almost crippling. Only the article from his stunt with Rayleigh at Marineford assured her that grief hadn't broken the captain she loved.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Robin told him, surprised to realize that she believed him. Although his burn would be too distinctive to allow him to work undercover much, he was probably still skilled at deception as well as being a powerful fighter. They would never have made him the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army if he couldn't keep his own counsel, but she hadn't lived the life she had to be easily deceived; this man was her captain's brother. For the first time since she had been separated from her nakama, Robin felt her shoulders truly relax. Even if the vows had been made years ago, even if he had forgotten for years, _this_ man was someone her captain had cherished and she would, as always, trust his decision.

"He's been trying to work up the courage to ask you about Luffy and his crew," Koala commented, buying her partner time to compose himself.

"I had wondered why you were following me around," Robin acknowledged offering them her first genuine smile since arriving, watching with interest as Sabo coloured slightly and Koala snickered. Maybe interest in Luffy wasn't the only reason he had been watching her. Well, time would tell.

"This probably sounds crazy," Sabo confessed, looking away for a moment, "but I honestly believe that when he died, Ace helped me remember. So that I could continue looking after our little brother."

"I'm a _Strawhat_ ," Robin reminded him calmly. "There's nothing too crazy for us." Sabo barked out a laugh.

"That's right. Anyone who follows Luffy has got to be pretty crazy." Koala was examining Robin as if hoping to discern just how crazy her new companion was.

"So, when will you tell Luffy that you're alive?"

"Umm. Well, you see…" Robin's eyes narrowed slightly, because Luffy deserved to know and he deserved to know _now_.

"He's convinced his brother will hate him for not being at Marineford," Koala filled in and Robin understood the sentiment even if she knew it to be entirely unfounded.

"Do you think he'll hate me, or any of the other crew members, for not being there?" Robin asked and only long years of experience kept her voice steady. The guilt that she'd been carrying since hearing about Ace was not something she intended to share with anyone outside her nakama, even her captain's brother.

"No!" He exclaimed, looking aghast at the very idea. "You know that Kuma sent you all to places where you could improve! How could anything that happened possibly be your fault?"

"How could it possibly be yours?" Robin countered.

"I'm their _brother_ ," Sabo stressed. "How could I not be there when they needed me most?"

"Again, I could say the same thing."

"That's different," Sabo muttered, his shoulders dropping.

"As I said," Koala said, watching her partner frown dejectedly, "he's stupid."

"That must be very challenging for you," Robin sympathized, earning a vigorous nod.

"It is! You wouldn't believe what kind of trouble he gets into!"

"Yes she would!" Sabo argued heatedly. "Luffy is like a hundred times worse! I'm the responsible one!" This statement made Koala pale in disbelief and Robin tried to smother her laugh.

"I'm afraid Mr. Chief of Staff is almost certainly correct."

"Please call me Sabo," the young man cut in. Robin nodded to him, but continued speaking.

"Luffy took to the seas less than a year ago and has already stormed Ennes Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford." Koala stared at her; she had almost certainly been aware of the facts, but had apparently never stopped to consider exactly what kind of person would actually _do_ that. "It'll be interesting to see what happens once we meet up again." Wistfulness slipped into her voice, shifting the tone of the conversation immediately. Her new friends (and how strange it was to think of them as such!) softened instantly.

"You haven't said how long you'll be with us, but we'll help you until you're reunited," Koala volunteered, reaching out to gently pat her shoulder. Robin, understanding Koala's intent was to comfort her, chose to allow the touch.

"What's my brother's crew like?" Sabo asked, drawing Robin's attention to the blond. "Pirate Hunter Zoro joined first, right?"

"Yes," Robin replied, happy to be reminiscing. "Apparently Luffy saved him from some corrupt marines."

"I heard he used to be a bounty hunter. Is that why he switched sides?" Robin tilted her head in thought, considering her words. Sabo would have had access to whatever information the Revolutionaries had on them, but that wouldn't tell him who they were. What it meant to be a _Strawhat_.

"Luffy finds people with dreams almost as large as his and gives them a chance to realize them."

"What's Zoro's dream?" Koala asked, making Robin smile.

"He intends to become the world's greatest swordsman." There was silence as the other two digested the news.

"You're right," Sabo said. "That dream is almost as big as Luffy's. Good thing Kuma sent him to Mihawk. So, how does he fit into the crew? What's he like?"

"I only joined the crew in Alabasta," Robin reminded them, "but from what I read in Nami's log, it seems like it took Zoro a little while to find his place as Luffy's right hand."

"How do you mean?" Sabo asked, leaning towards her.

"Zoro is stillness to Luffy's energy. Silence to Luffy's noise. Sake to Luffy's meat. He is the counterpoint to our captain."

"I heard he offered his life in exchange for Luffy's at Thriller Bark," Sabo probed seriously.

"That's not something generally known," Robin replied, her warning clear.

"I understand," Sabo acknowledged, but didn't retract his question. After a moment, Robin chose to answer.

"In all the small, daily ways he is Luffy's opposite. When it comes to the big things however… he understands Luffy best."

"You mentioned Nami before. She's the navigator, right?" Robin nodded.

"Having spent ten years as a slave to the very pirates who had killed her foster mother, Nami enjoys every day of freedom she has." Sabo narrowed his eyes, sensing she was leaving some details out. Which to be fair, she was.

"And how exactly does she 'enjoy her freedom'?" Robin met his eyes, wondering what he would make of her red haired crew mate.

"She yells at Luffy. Hits him. She spends all the money and is always insisting that everyone owes her a debt." All of which sounded really bad. Sabo's jaw clenched then, to Robin's surprise, he sighed.

"I get it. Ace was like that a bit, too. Picking on Luffy because he needed to know that he would be forgiven. The first time Luffy used his fussen technique, Ace and I used him as a ball." Robin hid her smile behind her hand while Koala stared at her compatriot incredulously. "Then he was swallowed by an alligator and we had to get him out." Instead of sounding alarmed, she only heard fond exasperation in his tone.

"Yes. Nami spent years gathering money to try to buy back her village. Cowering before the pirates she was forced to serve because they were using her sister and the other villagers as hostages against her good behaviour. Now she's free to loose her temper, spend money… all the things she couldn't do before, she can do now."

"What's her dream?" Koala asked.

"She wants to draw a map of the world." The two Revolutionaries stared at her.

"Well," Sabo commented dryly, "she definitely needs to be on the Pirate King's ship to do that."

"What about the others?"

"Usopp is the sniper who dreams of being a great warrior of the sea. Sanji is the chef who dreams of finding the All Blue. Chopper is the doctor who dreams of being able to cure all diseases. Franky dreams of building and travelling on the ship to go around the world. Brook dreams of making his way around the Grand Line and reuniting with a friend."

"Brook is a skeleton, right?" Sabo asked, sounding completely resigned.

"He ate the Live-Live fruit," she told him, amused by his reaction. "He died fifty years ago, but couldn't find his body to return to. By the time he did, only his bones were left." Sabo shook his head.

"This is what I _mean_ , Koala," he whined. "I can't begin to compare to the crazy shit Luffy pulls off."

"I never want to meet your brother," she told him firmly, making him laugh.

"Nah, you'd love him. It's hard not to, really."


End file.
